Wickrematunge v. Rajapaksa (United States civil action)
Current status of the Wickrematunge v. Rajapaksa (United States civil action)
Ahimsa Wickrematunge filed a civil action in the US District Court for the Central District of California alleging Rajapaksa was responsible for the 2009 torture and extrajudicial killing of her father, journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge. Rajapaksa denied the allegations. In Oct 2019 the District Court dismissed the action on common-law foreign-official-immunity grounds, holding the alleged acts were undertaken in his official capacity as Defence Secretary. On 27 Feb 2020, after Rajapaksa became President, the Ninth Circuit granted an agreed request to vacate that judgment and dismiss the appeal without prejudice, because a sitting head of state has immunity from US civil suit. No US court ever reached the merits of the allegations, for or against Rajapaksa.
What’s happened
A civil claim, not a criminal case; it produced no finding on the truth of the underlying allegations, for or against Rajapaksa.
- Court
- US District Court for the Central District of California; US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Next hearing / due
- No upcoming hearing announced
Sources (4)
Wickrematunge v. Rajapaksa (United States civil action) timeline
- 27 February 2020
Case Dismissed
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted an agreed request to vacate the District Court's immunity ruling and dismissed the appeal without prejudice, reflecting Rajapaksa's head-of-state immunity after becoming President; this produced no merits finding for or against him.
Court: US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- 22 October 2019
Case Dismissed
The US District Court for the Central District of California dismissed Wickrematunge's civil suit against Rajapaksa on common-law foreign-official-immunity grounds.
Court: US District Court for the Central District of California
Sources (2)