4 Sri Lankan policemen sentenced to death for murder

A court in Sri Lanka Thursday sentenced four policemen to death over the murder of two young boys two years ago. The Colombo High Court handed down death sentence to the suspects including the officer who was in charge of the police station at the time. However the death penalty is not implemented in Sri Lanka, so the sentence will see the policemen serving life in prison. Residents of Angulana, situated in a suburb near Colombo, clashed with the police in August 2009 after the two young boys were found dead with bullet wounds. The two boys had earlier been arrested by the police for alleged committing mischief while under the influence of liquor. When the relatives of the two boys visited the police station they were told that the two boys had not been arrested. However hours later the bodies of two boys were found a far distance away from the police station. Investigations later revealed that the two boys were assaulted and killed by the police officers while they were in custody. A public outcry resulted in several policemen being transferred and the main suspects including the officer who was in charge of the police station at the time facing legal action. A large crowd, including friends and neighbors of the two victims, gathered outside the Sri Lankan court premises Thursday, as the judgment was delivered.