Cases filed against Gotabaya in US courts?

The International Organization of Truth and Justice Project say that two cases have been filed against former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa at courts in the United States of America (USA) in connection with the murder of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunga and another charge.

However, a spokesman of Gotabaya Rajapaksa told Ada Derana stated that none of the American courts have issued any notice to Gotabhaya Rajapaksa with this regard.

A non-governmental organization called the International Organization of Truth and Justice Project, issuing a press release today (08), has stated that their organization and a private legal office in the US has taken steps to file a civil lawsuit against Gotabaya Rajapaksa at a court in California.

The statement says that the case has been filed on behalf of the Tamil man named Roy Samathanam, who identifies himself as a survivor of torturing in Sri Lanka.

The organization charges that the Canadian Samathanam was physically and mentally tortured under the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) under the former Defense Secretary Rajapaksa in 2007 and was released in 2010 only after getting the signature to a document by force. Reportedly, the UN Human Rights Committee, which evaluates states’ compliance with the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights, has already ordered Sri Lanka to pay him compensation.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa was officially handed the court notices of the case at the parking lot of a ‘Trader Joe’s on Sunday.

A separate case was apparently filed on behalf of the family of assassinated journalist Lasantha Wickrematunga.

The court notice for this case filed was also handed over on the same occasion at the Trader Joe’s car park, according to the press release.

The organization for Truth and Justice Project further says that this is the only chance to hold Gotabaya Rajapaksa responsible for these accounts as he has to withdraw his US citizenship to face the Presidential election.

However, Gotabaya Rajapaksa is currently residing in the USA and when Ada Derana inquired a spokesperson regarding the matter, they said that Gotabaya Rajapaksa firmly rejects the reports that claim that he has been summoned by American Courts.

The Spokesperson further said that the former Defense Secretary is not residing in the state of California but in another US state.

He added that Gotabaya Rajapaksa would return to Sri Lanka on the 12th of April.

According to foreign Media, Gotabaya Rajapaksa withdrawing from US citizenship does not affect the viability of these civil cases as he was served with process while in the United States, and was a U.S. citizen at the time he allegedly acted. The Torture Victim Protection Act (28 U.S.C. § 1350 note) is expressly extraterritorial, therefore does not raise the extraterritorial issues presented by the Alien Tort Claims Act, the report further stated.