BASL denounces Darusman Panel Report

by Manjula FERNANDO

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), a premier professional organisation with a membership of 11,000 lawyers, unanimously adopted a resolution yesterday denouncing the findings and recommendations of the Darusman Panel Report.

The resolution called upon the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to refrain from taking any direct or indirect action to implement the recommendations of the Panel which they termed ‘biased and prejudiced against Sri Lanka’.

“We came out very strongly against the Panel Report and we all adopted unanimously, without a single dissent, the entire resolution,” BASL President Shibly Aziz, PC, told the media after the special Council Meeting yesterday afternoon.

The meeting, held at the Bar Association Headquarters at Hulftsdorp from 10 a.m. - 12 noon, was attended by lawyers of all ethnicities including Council members from the North.

“It sets out our strong objection to the Panel members entering this investigation.

Some of the matters discussed in the Panel Report are of a judgmental nature”, he said adding that they find that the report contains a selective, incorrect, unbalanced and inappropriate set of findings and recommendations which will disrupt the ongoing reconciliation process.

Prior to the appointment of this Panel, the Bar Association objected to the move by the Secretary General pointing out that it was unconstitutional and against the UN Charter.

The resolution notes that two members of the so-called Panel of Experts selected by the Secretary General are those who had preconceived notions relating to the conflict and the justice and law enforcement system of the country.

Therefore, at the time of their appointment they entertained views highly prejudicial to the interests of the country’. It said the Report was aimed at causing ‘irremediable damage to the interests of the State and the people of Sri Lanka as some of the findings are incorrect and based on untested hearsay material’ while cautioning that the contents of the report will be manipulated by interested parties to target and attack the country.

It called upon the State to respond to the UNSG on the Report with a view to safeguarding the sovereignty and interests of the country.

BASL Secretary Mahinda Lokuge said that the resolution will be copied to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, diplomatic missions, all heads of political parties and the Asian and International Bar Associations.

Among the members who attended the meeting yesterday were Nihal Jayamanne PC, Yasantha Kodagoda DSG, Razik Zarook PC, Dr. Jayatissa De Costa PC, Palitha Kumarasinghe PC, Upali Gunaratne PC, Geoffrey Alagaratnam PC, Thirantha Waraliyadda PC and Raja Collure.