Mount Lavinia Additional Magistrate Hemali Halpandeniya on September 16 ordered the acquittal and release of Mohamed Rifai Mohamed Suhail, a 21-year-old resident of Mawanella, who had been held in remand custody for over nine months under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) for allegedly protesting against Israel on social media.
The order followed instructions from the Attorney General stating that the case could not proceed due to insufficient evidence. The Dehiwala Police also submitted a further report confirming the lack of evidence and requested the suspect’s release. The legal team representing Suhail supported the request, citing the absence of grounds for continued proceedings.
Suhail was initially arrested by the Dehiwala Police on October 25, 2024, and accused of posting a video on Instagram showing him trampling the Israeli flag. At the time, police claimed they had evidence of a PTA offence. However, after nine months of investigation, they reported that no such offence had been established.
On July 9, 2025, the Dehiwala Police formally requested bail, stating that no crime under the PTA had been uncovered. The Magistrate noted that bail could not be granted without the Attorney General’s advice, as per PTA provisions. Subsequently, on July 15, a document signed by Solicitor General and President’s Counsel Viraj Dayaratne was submitted, authorizing Suhail’s release on bail. He was released on two sureties of Rs. 500,000 each.
Arrest Circumstances and Legal Proceedings
Suhail was first detained on October 23, 2024, for allegedly not possessing a national identity card while seeking accommodation in Dehiwala. His father, Mohamed Rifai, told BBC Sinhala that he had sent the ID via WhatsApp to the police, who initially agreed to release Suhail. He was produced before the Mount Lavinia Court the next day and released.
However, later that night, Suhail was rearrested at his home in Mawanella. His father recounted that police claimed they needed to take a statement and would release him the following morning. Instead, Suhail was held at the Dehiwala Police station and remanded on October 27 after being produced before an acting magistrate.
When brought again before Magistrate Halpandeniya, who had previously released him, the judge questioned the police about the re-arrest. Police claimed Suhail had returned to Dehiwala and was apprehended again, though his family maintains he was arrested in Mawanella and possesses video evidence to support this.
Suhail’s lawyer argued that the initial arrest was based on suspicion due to his presence near a building under construction affiliated with the Israeli embassy. The court had previously dismissed the case, stating it was not relevant and released Suhail without bail.
Attorney Prathibha Geethma stated that Suhail continued to be held without any substantive charges and that the court could not grant bail under the PTA without the Attorney General’s directive. The Dehiwala Police confirmed in a further report that no wrongdoing had been uncovered.
Broader Context
Another youth, Mohammed Rushdie, was previously arrested under the PTA for pasting anti-Israel stickers and has since been released on bail. Suhail’s family filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka in April regarding his prolonged detention.