• Released on bail in 3 cases, court warns against violating court orders  
• Mudalige says release from prison is only the beginning of the struggle, Police fire water at Kelaniya students’ protest 

The Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF) Convenor Wasantha Mudalige, who was released from a 167-day long detention yesterday (1), pledged to expose today (2) a plan allegedly hatched by the Government to assassinate him while he was being detained by the Police.

Commenting to the media while leaving the prison premises, Mudalige said that the information about how the Government planned to assassinate him while he was in detention, who prepared the plans, and the places where he was taken to during that time, will be revealed in a special media briefing which will be held today.

The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court yesterday ordered the release of Mudalige on bail in relation to three pending cases after he was released by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday (31 January) from the case which had been filed under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act (PTA).

The cases were taken up before Magistrate Thilina Gamage and he ordered the release of Mudalige from the case pertaining to an alleged violation of court orders, on two surety bails of Rs. 500,000 each. The Magistrate imposed a bail condition on Mudalige that no court order should be violated hereafter.

A case which had been filed by the Colombo Fort Police Station against Mudalige was also taken up, and he was released on bail from that case. He was ordered by the Magistrate to appear before the Crime Investigation Unit of the Colombo Fort Police Station on 7 February, and record a statement. 

He was also granted bail in relation to another case which is being heard at the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court.

The Colombo Fort Police informed the court that they need to record a statement from Mudalige over an incident of him having allegedly obstructed an ambulance which had come to transport those injured during the public protest which demanded the resignation of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 9 July 2022. Magistrate Gamage considered the request and granted approval to the Police to record a statement.

The Magistrate also informed Mudalige that he will be placed back in remand custody after cancelling the bails in the event he commits any offences, including the refusal to accept court orders and the violation of the same.

Mudalige was released from the case filed by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) under the PTA by Colombo Magistrate Prasanna Alwis on Tuesday, after which, he was taken back to the Colombo Remand Prison as there were three other cases filed at the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court against him. However, as he was granted bail in relation to all three cases, he was released last evening.

Mudalige also said: “The Government that imprisoned me for more than six months has now taken a step back. We continued a struggle to force the Government to address the burning issues of the people of this country, especially the economic issues and to oust then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Because of the joint struggle launched by student movements, trade unions, civil organisations, and many other parties, Rajapaksa had to go home and kneel before the people’s power. However, instead of kneeling before the people after his resignation, the Government installed a rogue in the President’s chair. As a result, we were arrested, and the student movement and the people who were fighting were repressed.” 

He further said that the people have so far succeeded in defeating the repression launched by the Government led by President Ranil Wickremesinghe. He noted that a number of parties such as lawyers, civil activists, and trade union leaders were dedicated to the cause, and had acted to make the people’s struggle and the struggle to get him released a success. However, he said that no solution has been provided for any of the issues that were demanded through the people’s struggle, and added that they are not ready to bow down to the Government. He said that the release from prison is only the beginning of the struggle and that the IUSF is ready to show the Government what the people’s power means in the future. 

Meanwhile, the Police used water cannons to disperse a peaceful protest march organised by the IUSF which started yesterday near the University of Kelaniya. The protestors were calling out Mudalige’s detention under the PTA and the imprisonment of several IUSF activists on various charges, including the Students’ Union Convenors of Kelaniya University and the Buddhist and Pali University. When the group of students approached the Colombo-Kandy Main Road from the university premises, chanting slogans, a large number of police officers had been deployed to block the road, and a water cannon truck had also been brought to the location. 

As the group of students marched towards the police officers, the Police used water cannons on the students. Later, the students held a meeting on the road leading from the Colombo-Kandy Main Road towards the university. At that time, more than 500 Police and Police Special Task Force officers and Army soldiers had been deployed around the location and on both sides of the Main Road.

The IUSF had organised a massive protest in Colombo on 18 August 2022, against President Wickremesinghe and the Government. The Police, which obstructed the said protest, had arrested several IUSF activists including Mudalige. A total of 16 university students who were among the arrestees were released on bail while Mudalige, Inter-University Bhikkhus’ Federation Convenor Ven. Galwewa Siridhamma Thera, and IUSF activist Hashan Jeewantha were placed in TID ddetention under the PTA. Both Siridhamma Thera and Jeewantha were later enlarged on bail, while Mudalige was remanded until Tuesday under the PTA. He was released from the relevant case. However, three other cases had also been filed against him by the Colombo Fort Police Station over incidents which allegedly took place during the public protests which demanded the resignation of Rajapaksa in 2022.