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People smuggling: Long jail terms and fines for offenders
View(s):Any person found guilty of having engaged in human smuggling faces prison terms ranging from five to ten years and a fine of up to two million rupees under a new Immigration Bill gazetted by the government.
The bill imposes tough penalties for those smuggling people, both into and from Sri Lanka. Penalties apply to those who smuggle non-citizens into Sri Lanka for financial or material gain, those who knowingly harbour, conceal, or transport any person who has been brought to Sri Lanka illegally, and those who knowingly employ such persons. All such persons commit the offence of human smuggling and, if convicted in a court of law, are liable to face imprisonment for a term not less than five years and not exceeding twenty years, as well as a fine not exceeding one million rupees.
The same penalties are imposed on those found to have organised the smuggling of persons from Sri Lanka for material or financial gain, who facilitate them to enter another country in contravention of the laws of that country, and those who harbour such persons in a foreign country in contravention of the laws of that country.
Those who engage in the recruitment of persons to directly or indirectly obtain financial or material benefit by making false promises or disseminating misleading information to induce persons to leave Sri Lanka for another country are also committing the offence of human smuggling. Upon conviction, such persons are liable to face imprisonment for a term not less than five years and not exceeding ten years, and a fine not exceeding one million rupees.
Those who have committed the offence of human smuggling under the bill are also committing an aggravated human smuggling offence if such persons have endangered or are likely to have endangered the lives and security of the persons smuggled or being smuggled, who smuggle persons under inhumane and degrading conditions, or who abuse the persons being smuggled. Such persons, too, can be sentenced to between five and twenty years and imposed a 1.5 million rupee fine.
If the offence has been committed in respect of a child, however, the offenders are liable to face imprisonment of between eight and twenty years and a fine of up to two million rupees.
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