Newly appointed Minister of Justice and Law Reform, Minister Milinda Moragoda intends to re-activate capital punishment in Sri Lanka as one of his first tasks in office, according to close aides.


Speaking to LAKBIMANEWS, a close associate said that Minister Milinda Moragoda was “keen on reinstating the death penalty and was working towards a plausible solution with the Inspector General of Police Jayantha Wickramaratne and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa while garnering support from other ministers for the cause.”


“Minister Karu Jayasuriya had spoken to Minister Milinda Moragoda yesterday (11) and given his support to re-establish the death penalty.” he said.


According to him, Minister Milinda Moragoda had met the Defence Secretary prior to receiving his portfolio and had suggested the creation of a task force made up of members from both ministries that would monitor the crime rate and observe any major changes that would make room for reform.

 
He added that the task force was now in effect and has held several meetings since being set up. “The minister is keen on reviving the death penalty after having reaffirmed his stance that law and order should prevail now that the war was over.”


He said that it was not necessary to pass an act that would revive the death penalty due to the fact that most judges were in favour of it, but a policy decision from the hierarchy was needed.


LAKBIMANEWS spoke to acting Prisons Commissioner S. Dhanasinha who said that there was over 400 pending appeals against death row sentences at present islandwide. There are about 200 prisoners on death row at the Welikada (magazine prison) and 150 at the Bogambara maximum security prison in Kandy. Capital punishment by hanging is legal in Sri Lanka and several sentences have been handed down since 1976; however it was not implemented during former president Chandrika Kumaratunga’s time due to significant public outcry.