{"id":67883,"date":"2020-03-02T22:29:56","date_gmt":"2020-03-03T03:29:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=67883"},"modified":"2020-03-02T22:41:55","modified_gmt":"2020-03-03T03:41:55","slug":"slain-editor-lasantha-wickrematunges-daughter-ahimsas-request-to-vacate-the-lower-courts-ruling-that-gotabaya-rajapaksa-is-entitled-to-common-law-foreign-official-immunity-for-acts-commit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=67883","title":{"rendered":"Slain Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge’s Daughter Ahimsa’s Request to vacate the lower court\u2019s ruling that Gotabaya Rajapaksa is entitled to common law foreign official immunity for acts committed while he was Secretary of Defense of Sri Lanka Granted by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals: Decision clears the way for future litigation against Rajapaksa once he no longer enjoys immunity as a head of state."},"content":{"rendered":"

(Text of a Media Advisory Issued in San Francisco by the Center for Justice and Accountability on March 2nd 2020)<\/strong><\/p>\n

San Francisco, March 2, 2020:<\/strong><\/em> Last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted Ahimsa Wickrematunge\u2019s request to vacate the lower court\u2019s ruling that Gotabaya Rajapaksa is entitled to common law foreign official immunity for acts committed while he was Secretary of Defense of Sri Lanka. Ahimsa\u2019s lawsuit, filed last April, sought to hold Rajapaksa \u2013 now the president of Sri Lanka \u2013 responsible for his alleged involvement in the assassination of her father, famed journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, and in the widespread and systematic targeting of journalists perceived to critical of the government. Ahimsa is represented by the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.<\/p>\n

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals also granted Ahimsa\u2019s request to dismiss her case without prejudice, as Rajapaksa\u2019s accession to the presidency of Sri Lanka last November gave him immunity from suits in US courts for so long as he remains president. The Ninth Circuit\u2019s decision clears the way for future litigation against Rajapaksa once he no longer enjoys immunity as a head of state.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ruling is a victory, and a message to Gotabaya Rajapaksa: His maneuvers to escape justice for his role in my father\u2019s assassination continue to fail. He will not enjoy immunity forever, and his presidency can only delay, not prevent, accountability. Those of us who lost everything to his barbarism and bloodshed will never give up our fight for justice,\u201d says Ahimsa Wickrematunge.<\/p>\n

\u201cLasantha\u2019s killing was neither authorized nor ratified by the Sri Lankan government, and the violent targeting of journalists should never be considered legitimate acts of state,\u201d said CJA Legal Director Carmen Cheung. \u201cWe are pleased that Ahimsa will have the opportunity to bring her case again.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ninth Circuit correctly vacated the lower court\u2019s decision when Ahimsa\u2019s appeal could no longer be heard, because of Rajapaksa\u2019s newly acquired immunity. We are pleased that this decision gives Ahimsa another chance at justice for her father.\u201d says Natalie Reid of Debevoise & Plimpton.<\/p>\n

For more information on the case, visit https:\/\/cja.org\/wickrematunge or at the FAQ page in English, Sinhala, and Tamil. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

About the Center for Justice and Accountability<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) is a San Francisco-based human rights legal organization dedicated to deterring torture, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious human rights abuses around the world through innovative litigation and transitional justice strategies. CJA partners with impacted communities seeking truth, justice, and redress, and has successfully brought cases against high-ranking military and public officials for their participation in atrocity crimes. Visit www.cja.org.<\/p>\n

About Debevoise & Plimpton<\/strong><\/p>\n

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a premier law firm with market-leading practices, a global perspective and strong New York roots. Debevoise delivers effective solutions to its clients\u2019 most important legal challenges, applying clear commercial judgment and a distinctively collaborative approach. Debevoise\u2019s globally recognized team of International Dispute Resolution lawyers has extensive experience advising and litigating in relation to all aspects of public international law.<\/p>\n

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(Text of a Media Advisory Issued in San Francisco by the Center for Justice and Accountability on March 2nd 2020) San Francisco, March 2, 2020: Last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted Ahimsa Wickrematunge\u2019s request to vacate the lower court\u2019s ruling that Gotabaya Rajapaksa is entitled to common law foreign official immunity for …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Slain Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge’s Daughter Ahimsa’s Request to vacate the lower court\u2019s ruling that Gotabaya Rajapaksa is entitled to common law foreign official immunity for acts committed while he was Secretary of Defense of Sri Lanka Granted by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals: Decision clears the way for future litigation against Rajapaksa once he no longer enjoys immunity as a head of state.’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67883"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=67883"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67885,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67883\/revisions\/67885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=67883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=67883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=67883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}