* Son under US scrutiny over alleged Al Qaeda links

* IGP asked by AG to investigate academic

Australian Prof. Lukman Thalib, 58, mentioned in the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) report that dealt with the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, says that he will initiate legal proceedings against the Sri Lankan government over what he calls unsubstantiated allegations against him.

Thalib is believed to be in Turkey. His son, Ismail Thalib, 24, too, is mentioned in the PCoI report.

UK-based advocacy organization CAGE yesterday (29) in a statement sent to The Island quoted Prof. Thalib as having said: “Recent discussions on the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka which brought my name into public disrepute out of the blue, have shocked me and my family. I have had no contact from Sri Lankan authorities – they’ve not questioned me about any allegations. Instead I read about them in the press, which is a violation of my due process rights. It is absolutely reprehensible and disgusts me to my very core. I have spent all my life, as a Professor of Public Health and a scientific researcher, working for the protection and preservation of human life.

“I have instructed my lawyers to take legal action against the government of Sri Lanka for these defamatory allegations. It is unacceptable that my extended family faced harassment over the months preceding the release of the PCoI report. The government has shown that it lacks the credibility and impartiality for such a sensitive investigation, especially as it stands accused of war crimes by the United Nations.

“Not only have I been arbitrarily removed from my role as a senior Professor at Qatar University, but I have endured six months of torture, which has been widely publicized internationally. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the country where I was born has played a role in my suffering. They must be held accountable for this.”

Prof. Thalib alleged that they were tortured during the near six-month long detention in Qatar before being released. Qatar authorities took them into custody on July 27, 2020. Prof Thalib said that his relatives living in Sri Lanka, too, were questioned as regards their involvement.

Naila Ahmed, CAGE Casework Manager said: “Our client, Professor Lukman, has not been offered any opportunity to reject the allegations prior to them being unethically leaked to the press. This flies in the face of any semblance of due process and is a flagrant violation of the right to a fair hearing.”

According to international media, another son of Prof Thalib, identified as Ahmed Luqman Thalib, has been named by the US as an Al Quida operative allegedly involved in moving funds. The US named him several months after the arrest of his father and brother.

According to the Attorney General’s Department, AG Dappula de Livera, PC, on March 10 instructed IGP C.D. Wickremaratne to investigate several persons referred to in the PCoI report. Prof. Thalib and Katuwapitiya National Thowheed Jamaat bomber Hastun’s wife Sarah were among those named by the AG.

SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris recently briefed the media regarding their alleged involvement in the Easter Sunday attacks. (SF)