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Deshamanya Hector Wilfred "Harry" Jayewardene, QC (November 3, 1916 - April 20, 1990) was a prominent Sri Lankan lawyer. In 1979 he was chairman of a UNESCO conference on human rights in Bangkok and later chairman of the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute. He was member at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. [1]
Born to Justice Eugene Wilfred Jayewardene, KC and Agnes Helen Don Philip Wijewardena, he was the younger brother of J. R. Jayewardene, former President of Sri Lanka. Educated at the Royal College, Colombo, where he excelled in rugby and debating. Following the family trade, he entered Ceylon Law College to study law. He won many prizes at law college, including the Prize for Law of Evidence and the Hector Jayewardene Gold Medal for Oratory. Passing the examinations with First Class Honours, he was called to the bar in 1941 as an advocate. [2]
Jayewardene started his career as a junior to M. T. de S. Amarasekera, KC; N. K. Choksy, KC and H. V. Perera, QC. He quickly gained a reputation as a trial lawyer in both civil and criminal law in the unofficial bar, with a strong practice in the appellate courts. He became the youngest person to be named to the prestigious position of Queen's Counsel in 1954. He was part of the defense of the 1962 attempted coup suspects and defended Royal Dutch Shell ownership in Ceylon when nationalized in the 1960s. He was the principal legal adviser to his brother J. R. Jayewardene, he was the architect of the amendments to the Constitution of Sri Lanka in the late 1970s and early 1980s and served as a Special Envoy to the President. [2]
Jayewardene was elected to many high positions within the Sri Lankan Legal profession, such as the First President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, President Law Association, President Organization of Professionals Association. He was also the Vice President, Commonwealth Lawyers Association. [2]
In 1985 he was award an honorary LLD from the University of Colombo and awarded the title of Deshamanya in 1988 by the President of Sri Lanka. [3]
He married Claribel Fernando, daughter of Dr C H Fernando in August 1946. They had four daughters and a son, Dr Hiran Jayewardene. [2]
Junius Richard Jayewardene, commonly abbreviated in Sri Lanka as J.R., was the leader of Sri Lanka from 1977 to 1989, serving as Prime Minister from 1977 to 1978 and as the second President of Sri Lanka from 1978 to 1989. He was a leader of the nationalist movement in Ceylon, the French spelling of who served in a variety of cabinet positions in the decades following independence. A longtime member of the United National Party, he led it to a landslide victory in 1977 and served as Prime Minister for half a year before becoming the country's first executive president under an amended constitution.
Deshamanya is the second-highest national honour of Sri Lanka awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a civil honour. It is awarded for "highly meritorious service", and is conventionally used as a title or prefix to the recipient's name.
Christopher Gregory Weeramantry, AM was a Sri Lankan lawyer who was a Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from 1991 to 2000, serving as its vice-president from 1997 to 2000. Weeramantry was a judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka from 1967 to 1972. He also served as an emeritus professor at Monash University and as the president of the International Association of Lawyers against Nuclear Arms.
Deshamanya Herman Leonard de Silva, PC was a Sri Lankan lawyer and diplomat. He was the former Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations. He was a former President and honorary life member of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.
Eugene Wilfred Jayewardene, KC was a Ceylonese judge, lawyer and politician. He was a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ceylon and is the father of J. R. Jayewardene the first executive President of Sri Lanka.
Colonel Theodore Godfrey Wijesinghe Jayewardene, VD, JP, CLI was a Ceylonese engineer, politician and military officer. A member of the State Council of Ceylon, he was the first Ceylonese commanding officer of the Ceylon Light Infantry.
Herbert Sri Nissanka, QC was a Ceylonese lawyer and legislator. Elected to the first post-independence parliament, he was one of the founding members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
Deshamanya Suppiah Sharvananda was the 37th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka and the first Governor of the Western Province.
Brigadier Donald Danister Hewagama (1926-2009) was a Sri Lankan lawyer. He was the Judge Advocate General of the Sri Lanka Army.
Deshamanya Ranjith Abeysuriya, PC was a Sri Lankan lawyer. He was the chairman of the National Police Commission, director public prosecutions of the Attorney General's Department, president of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and member of the Law Commission of Sri Lanka.
Deshamanya R. K. W. Goonesekera, PC is a Sri Lankan lawyer and academic. He was the Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya, a Professor and Professor of Law, Ahmadu Bello University and Principal of the Sri Lanka Law College. He specialises in Public Law, Constitutional Law and Fundamental Rights.
Pathmanathan Ramanathan was a leading Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and judge. Known as Rama, he was a High Court judge, Court of Appeal judge, provincial governor, university chancellor and a judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.
Henry Wijeyakone Thambiah (1906–1997) was a Ceylonese academic, diplomat, lawyer and judge, born in Sri Lanka during British colonial rule. He was a Commissioner of Assize, High Commissioner and judge of the Supreme Courts of Ceylon and Sierra Leone.
Nihal Mahendra Sudrikku Jayawickrama is a Sri Lankan academic. He was the former Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Justice (1970–1977), Professor of Law at University of Hong Kong (1984–1997), Ariel F Sallows Professor of Human Rights at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada (1992–1993), and Executive Director of Transparency International (1997–2000). He is now an independent legal consultant, and has been the Coordinator of the UN-sponsored Judicial Integrity Group since 2000.
John Adrian St. Valentine W. Jayewardene (1877–1927) was a Ceylonese judge and lawyer. He was a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ceylon.
Rolland "Rolly" P. Jayawardene, FRCP was a Sri Lankan Physician. He was the Director-General of the Natural Resources Energy and Science Authority.
The Jayewardene family is a Sri Lankan family that is prominent in law and politics. Along with many members who have been successful politician across generations, the family includes Presidents and Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka.
John Eardley Russel Perera PC was a Sri Lankan lawyer and the 2nd president of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (1977–78). He was a member of the Law Commission and the Council of Legal Education. Mr. Perera was in the first batch of President's Counsel appointed in 1981, having refused silk as a Queen's Counsel in 1967.