(Lanka e News – 26.July.2018, 10.45PM) The president has decided to implement the capital punishment even if the GSP concessions are lost , said minister Rajitha Senaratne the cabinet spokesman when addressing the media briefing yesterday (25) to reveal the cabinet decisions . The punishment will be meted out only to those facing charges of smuggling drugs into SL while already in jail serving death sentence on charges of drug deals , the minister went on to highlight.
The police sleuths have identified 19 such culprits , the minister further disclosed.
The answers provided by the minster to questions posed by the journalists are hereunder ..
Question : Has the government taken a definite decision in regard to implementation of death sentence ?
Answer: The decision has been taken . The cabinet too has unanimously ratified.
Question : Countries of the European union are against it , aren’t they ?
Answer: They are talking about death sentence . We are not talking about delivering death sentence. This situation is unique. That is , the death penalty is against those main drug dealers who are smuggling heroin into SL. The capital punishment is to be implemented against the dealers against whom are charges of smuggling drugs into SL while they are already incarcerated on drug charges and facing death sentence .
The police sleuths have identified 19 such smugglers .It is to them the capital punishment is to be carried out. It does not apply to others who are facing death sentence.
Question : The EU says , if capital punishment is to be implemented , granting of GSP concession may have to be reviewed?
Answer: Yes. The president however is taking a steadfast stance that capital punishment shall be implemented, and the other issues are to be looked into later.
Question : That means even at the cost of GSP concessions death penalty will be implemented?
Answer: Yes
Question : But , aren’t the other countries saying it is a cruelty?
Answer: But when this is happening continuously, why say death penalty shall not be implemented. When it is said do not impose death penalty , that implies the culprit shall be given an opportunity for rehabilitation. But if he/she instead of rehabilitating , is continuing his/her activities even while he/she is imprisoned , how many others are dying owing to them ?
Question : There are accusations that even prison officers are also implicated . It is alleged without their aiding and abetting , these criminals cannot pursue their dastardly activities while being within prison . As a government what is the action you are going to take against those officers?
Answer: This is not something that started since 2015. That situation existed in the prisons all along. May be it was difficult to detect that. Now the STF has been entrusted with the task of providing security to prisons. I saw names of six individuals linked with telephone calls . Stern action should be taken against those prison officers.
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by (2018-07-26 17:39:45)
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