Supreme Court of Sri Lanka decided that the fundamental rights of Ramzy Razeek and ordered the government to pay Rs. one million as damage. Chief Inspector B.M.A.S.K. Senaratne, the first respondent, and former CID Director DIG W. Thilakaratne, the second respondent, were individually directed to pay Rs 30,000 to the petitioner (Razeek) within one month, from their funds.
Justices Buwaneka Aluwihare, Yasantha Kodagoda, and Janak de Silva heard the case. Attorneys-at-Law Nuwan Bopage and Chathura Weththasinghe, instructed by Ramzi Bacha, represented the petitioner
Ramzy Razeek, a social media commentator and member of Sri Lanka’s Muslim minority, was arrested on 9 April 2020, under the ICCPR Act and the Computer Crimes Act, after posting on Facebook advocating for an “ideological jihad” using the pen and keyboard to counter hate propaganda against Muslims by extremists from the Sinhalese Buddhist majority community.
He was released on bail on 17 September 2020, but the criminal investigation against him remained open. On 21 September 2023, the Colombo Magistrate’s Court released him from the case after three years.
