Former Navy commander under investigation over the enforced disappearances in the ‘Navy 11’ case in Colombo

The eleven victims, who disappeared between 2008 and 2009, belonged to various communities, including Tamils and Muslims. According to investigators, they were abducted by a secret naval intelligence unit and detained at the “Gun Site” on the Trincomalee base before being killed. The parents of Dillan, one of the victims, told AsiaNews: “A case deliberately covered up for many years to protect senior officers. Now the government must press ahead with justice”:

Colombo (AsiaNews) - Following the latest developments in the investigation into the 2019 Easter massacres, there is movement in Colombo regarding cases of enforced disappearances that occurred during the final years of Sri Lanka’s civil war. For some time, families and activists have been pointing the finger at the security forces, whom they accuse of committing serious human rights abuses.

Now the former Navy commander, Ravindra Wijegunaratne, has been officially named as a suspect in the investigation into the abduction and disappearance of 11 people in Colombo and the surrounding areas between 2008 and 2009, one of the most emblematic cases of that dark period. The decision was taken after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) presented new information to the court. Wijegunaratne has been summoned to appear before Fort Court on 22 July.

The case, known as ‘Navy 11’, concerns 11 young men, many of whom were students from Colombo and its suburbs. The victims were aged between 17 and 50 and belonged to different ethnic communities in Sri Lanka: six Tamils, three Muslims and two Sinhalese. According to investigators, they were abducted by a secret naval intelligence unit and used in an organised extortion scheme. Families received ransom demands in exchange for the release of their relatives. Although some payments were made, most of the victims never returned home and remain missing.

CID investigations revealed that the young men were initially detained in naval facilities in Colombo and subsequently transferred to the Trincomalee naval base. At the centre of the investigation is the so-called ‘Gun Site’ camp, a highly restricted area within the Trincomalee naval complex which is alleged to have functioned as a secret and illegal detention centre.

According to several testimonies, detainees were held in extremely harsh conditions, without access to natural light, subjected to interrogation and, in some cases, torture. Some of those abducted managed to briefly contact their families, confirming that they were being held first in Colombo and then at the Trincomalee site. However, all communication ceased abruptly and none of them were ever seen again. Investigators believe they may have been killed after long periods of detention.

Among those who continue to seek justice are Mr and Mrs Weerasinghe, the parents of Dillan, one of the missing youths. For 18 years they have been fighting to shed light on the fate of their son and the other victims, regardless of their ethnic background. “We have never stopped seeking justice,” Jennifer told AsiaNews. “We believe the former Attorney General deliberately dragged this case out to protect senior naval officers whose names are linked to this serious crime. We strongly urge the government to treat this case as a priority.”

The CID also maintains that certain senior naval officers have obstructed the investigations, protected suspects and facilitated their escape abroad. Wijegunaratne himself had already been accused in the past of aiding one of the main suspects and interfering with the investigation.