- Wijeyadasa points to information of orchestrated incidents
Claiming that there is information to the effect that incidents of some individuals making statements allegedly insulting certain religions, including Buddhism, are of an organised nature, the Ministry of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms warned of legal action against such individuals, even without the receipt of a complaint.
The recent statements made by individuals, such as Pastor Jerome Fernando and stand-up comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya, that have allegedly insulted Buddhism and other religions as well as the authorities’ actions against them are much talked-about among the public at present.
Commenting on such incidents during a media briefing, Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Minister President’s Counsel (PC) Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said that anyone who wants to believe in a particular religion has the right to do so, while there is also the right to not believe in any religion. However, he emphasised that there is no right for anyone to act in such a way as to cause inconvenience to believers of a particular religion.
“In recent times, many conspiracies have been hatched to destroy religious harmony. We worked very patiently to prevent such conflicts from going too far and bloodshed occurring again. The Penal Code clearly states that no one can act in such a way as to hurt the sentiments of any religious group. If someone behaves in violation of the relevant provisions, we will enforce the law against them regardless of their status, race, and religion. Some such prosecutions have already been done,” he said.
The media queried Dr. Rajapakshe whether there was information regarding whether the recent incidents in question took place in an organised manner, to which he responded that he could not make an exact remark on the matter, but that there was information that the incidents in question were the results of an organised act. He also said that the Police had the power to initiate legal action against these kinds of incidents, even without the receipt of a complaint.
In order to take further measures with regard to matters pertaining to religions and different ethnic groups in the country, he said that the Ministry and the Foreign Affairs Ministry had received the Cabinet of Ministers’ approval to initiate the proposed reconciliation mechanism. “The relevant Bill has been prepared now. Cabinet approval was granted to initiate its basic proceedings through the Presidential Secretariat, and it will happen by next week,” added Dr. Rajapakshe.
The Daily Morning queried him regarding the composition of the membership of the proposed Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the way in which it would function, to which he replied that it would take an extended amount of time to be explained. Therefore, he said that the Ministry would arrange a separate media briefing in the coming days to explain the TRC and related matters in detail.