US court dismisses lawsuit against Gota; Ahimsa to appeal decision

Oct 22, 2019 (LBO) – The United States District Court for the Central District of California has granted Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s motion to dismiss Ahimsa Wickrematunge’s lawsuit against him.

The Court has held that it lacks the jurisdiction to consider Wickrematunge’s claims, because, Rajapaksa is entitled to common law foreign official immunity.

The Court has found that the alleged acts were committed in his official capacity as Sri Lanka’s Secretary of Defense.

The daughter of prominent Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge said in response that she is ready to appeal the decision.

On April 4, 2019, the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) filed a complaint against Gotabaya Rajapaksa and at the time of filing, Rajapaksa was a U.