Journalists staged a protest in front of the Attorney General’s Office in Aluthkade, Colombo yesterday 6 morning to protest the decision to arbitrarily release the defendants in the Lasantha Wickramatunga murder case.

The protest was held to demand that the government led by the President immediately withdraw the written order issued by the Attorney General to remove from the pending court case a former DIG, a Sub-Inspector of Police and a former Army Sergeant who were arrested and released on bail on suspicion of concealing evidence in the murder of former Sunday Leader editor and lawyer Lasantha Wickramatunga.

This protest was called by the Young Journalists’ Association and a large number of civil society activists, including representatives from the Sri Lanka Professional Journalists’ Association, the Media Workers’ Union Federation, trade unions, and the Free Media Movement, participated in the protest.

The protesters displayed placards with slogans such as: The Attorney General should be held accountable, shouldn’t the President be held accountable? Send the Attorney General home immediately! The Attorney General is playing with justice! Justice for Lasantha, The fate of the Mahara Prison inmates and Indika Prabath should be meted out to Lasantha! The Attorney General should be held accountable, Is the president a baby? Should the President be held accountable?

At the end of the protest,  the protesters blocked the Attorney General’s office and when a group of representatives requested permission to meet the Attorney General and hand over a letter. A heated situation erupted when the police obstructed the protesters. Later, a group of representatives went and met an officer instead of the Attorney General and handed over the letter. When they requested a meeting with the Attorney General, they were told to go to the court and resolve the issue.

Journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga’s brother, Lal Wickramatunga, participated in the protest.