No execution until July 17th - Prisons Chief tells court
July 5, 2019 01:38 pm
Commissioner General of Prisons T.M.W. Tennakoon has undertaken that no prisoner would be executed until the order of the Court of Appeal is delivered on the 17th of July.
The Commissioner General of Prisons stated this when the petition filed by journalist Malinda Seneviratne, seeking a court order against the decision to implement the death penalty on four prisoners, was taken up for consideration for the third day today (04).
The prisons chief further stated that he would notify the Appeals Court if he receives an order to execute any convicted prisoner before July 17th.
The petition was taken up before the five-judge bench consisting of Appeals Court President Justice Yasantha Kodagoda, Justices Deepali Wijesundara, Janak de Silava, Achala Wengappuli and Arjuna Obeysekara.
Appeals Court President inquired the Commissioner General of Prisons whether he has received communication from President on the date, time and location to execute any prisoner.
Responding to this, the Commissioner General of Prisons said he is has not received any such communication as of yet.
The Commissioner General of Prisons further told the court that there is no imminent status any prisoner under his custody to be executed thus far.
The attorney representing petitioner Malinda Seneviratne told the court that President Maithripala Sirisena, speaking on the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (June 25), has stated that he has signed the death warrants of four convicted drug traffickers and that he has already informed the dates on which the executions should be carried out.
He further said that the petitioner came before the court under this dangerous situation.
The Attorney General had previously raised preliminary objections stating that the Court of Appeal does not have the jurisdiction to hear this petition.
The five-judge bench informed that the verdicts on these preliminary objections and issuance of notice to hear the petition would be delivered on July 17th.
