Death Sentence: HRCSL sends recommendation to Justice Minister

Considering the irreversible nature of the death sentence the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) recommends that the Minister of Justice & Prisons begin the process of reforming the law pertaining to the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka regarding criminal matters, specifically cases where the accused has been convicted by the appellate court and sentenced to death.

The HRCSL has placed the following facts in support of the recommendation. 

- Most notably, every accused has a right of appeal, and this is an absolute right and not a privilege. 

- This right is enshrined in Article 139 of the Constitution sections 331, 335, 337 of the Criminal Procedure Code and Section 14 of the Judicature Act deal with the right of appeal of an accused to a higher court.

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka believes the failure to address this matter is a persistent abuse of the fundamental rights of the accused and the convicted.