The witness protection bill has been passed unanimously in the parliament today. The considerably delayed bill was approved by the Cabinet final July. It was first tabled before the parliament in 2008 but was deferred.
The bill was drafted by the Justice Ministry, and thereafter referred to the cabinet sub-committee on legislation for its recommendations prior to becoming presented to the parliament.
The contact for an Act for Protection of Witnesses has been created for the past handful of years, especially for the duration of the post-conflict period as it would create support conduct fair trials by way of striking a balance in the criminal justice method of Sri Lanka between the rights of the accused, the rights and entitlements of victims of crime and the entitlements of witnesses.