Absconding trial on protest outside UN office Arrest warrant against NFF’s Jayantha Samaraweera

By T. Farook Thajudeen 

Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne issued an arrest warrant against NFF member Jayantha Samaraweera for not being present in court yesterday to face the trial against him and several others for staging a protest outside the UN office in Thunmulla on February 6,  2016 during the visit of UN Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. 

The magistrate issued the warrant after observing that the suspect was not present in court for the case. However, another suspect, Roger Seneviratne too was absent in court yesterday and his counsel pleaded his client was ill and could not attend the case yesterday. The magistrate postponed the trial for June 29. 

The Cinnamon Garden Police had complained to the magistrate that six suspects including NFF leader and Colombo District MP Wimal Weerawansa, Jayantha Samaraweera, Weerakumara Dissanayake, Piyasiri Wijenayake, Roger Seneviratne and Mohammed Muzammil led a protest inconveniencing the general public and obstructing vehicular movement at Bauddhaloka Mawatha. The police had also filed a CD as production of the case.  

The NFF staged the protest march against Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on February 6, 2016.