Jan 11, Colombo: The Lawyers' Collective of Sri Lanka has declared today as Black Friday since the impeachment motion against the Chief Justice is to be put for a vote this evening in parliament.

The Collective has decided to raise black flags and display black banners at all courts as a mark of protest and to mourn the death of the supremacy of the law.

They have also called on the people to follow suit to protest the day, when they say, the present regime begins a journey of dictatorship.

The lawyers boycotted courts yesterday and commenced a protest march from Court Complex in Hultsdorf to parliament but the police prevented them from marching to parliament.

Meanwhile, the Citizens' and Trade Union Collective for Judicial Independence has stated that it strongly objected to the government's move in organizing mobs against the peaceful protest march organized by the Lawyers Collective demanding the withdrawal of the illegal impeachment motion.

Issuing a statement, the movement has said that the government has with its actions proved it would not only violate the Constitution of this country, but also use any sort of thuggery to violate the Constitution for its advantage.