Statement by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera at the High Level Segment of the 34th Session of the Human Rights Council. Mr. President High Commissioner for Human Rights/ Madam Deputy High Commissioner Excellencies Distinguished Delegates Ladies and Gentlemen It is an honour for me to be here today at the 34th Session of the UN Human […]

TNA photo: Sampanthan meeting a delegation of Senators from France. At a meeting with a visiting delegation of Senators from France the Leader of the Opposition and the TNA, Hon. R. Sampanthan MP told them that very little had been achieved on the UNHRC 30/1 resolution, which was cosponsored by the Sri Lankan government.he further […]

Image: Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar  meeting TNA led by R. Samapathan. By Manekshaw. Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar has requested the Tamil National Alliance to strengthen its unity before finding solutions for the Tamil political issues. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) representatives led by R. Sampanthan met Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar who was […]

Image: Sri Lanka Army by globalriskinsights.com. A wide-ranging Right to Information Act request was filed with the Army on Saturday, requesting details of how state resources have been used to aid soldiers and officers accused of attacks on media personnel and to confirm or deny whether the army has spied on the police and public […]

The body has been accused of unfairly targeting Israel, and Trump aides are questioning its usefulness. By NAHAL TOOSI and ELIANA JOHNSON The Trump administration is considering pulling the United States out of the United Nations Human Rights Council, a body that has been accused of being biased against Israel and criticized for including abusive […]

By Aaron Blake President Trump berated the media repeatedly at his press conference on Feb. 16, calling CNN, the New York Times and other outlets “dishonest” and “very fake news,” for reporting unfavorable stories about him. (Video: Reuters / Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) It’s pretty clear what President Trump is doing by going after the […]

File photo: Journalist Keith Noyahr at work. May 22, 2008 was a usual day for journalist Keith Noyahr until he reached the gates of his home in Dehiwela that night. He was abducted and assaulted by a group of unknown persons as he was about to enter his home premises. The engine of his vehicle […]

Sri Lanka has been placed 66th among recognised countries by The Economist magazine’s Democracy Index. The Index takes into consideration the country’s election process, government-funded facilities, political participation, political culture and civil freedom. Sri Lanka has scored 6.48 points in the 2016 Democracy Index which is an imprvement comparing scores of 6.42 in 2015 and […]

Image: The screen shot of voting at UNHRC on Sri Lanka resolution, 2012. To Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the UN Human Rights Council. Excellency, We write to seek your support in ensuring that the upcoming consideration of Sri Lanka’s progress toward implementing its commitments under United Nations Human Rights Council resolution […]

Image: Maj. Gen. Kapila Hendawitharana was ardent supporter of Rajapaksas. Retired Maj. Gen. Kapila Hendawitharana, national intelligence chief when Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was the defence secretary, has had Rs. 3.2 million credited to his Bank of Ceylon current account from across the country, a FCID investigation has revealed. ‘Ravaya’ reports that notable among them is one […]

A civil group, “the Collective for Decent Lanka” has requested the Right to Information Commission to make public its financial and cadre requirements and  recruitment criteria to make sure that its employees including the Director General are appointed in a transparent and independent manner. The letter follows: Chairman Right to Information Commission Room No. 203-204 […]

Image: Journalists protest against Keith Noyahr abduction, May 2008. Addressing the media at the Centre for Society and Religion (CSR) on 22 February, Chameera Perera, co-convenor of the Left Centre said  that the ongoing investigation pointed to the direct responsibility of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in the heinous crime. Perera claimed that those who had been arrested […]

Commit to Protect Students, Teachers, Schools, and Universities During War. (Paris) The French and Canadian governments should be congratulated for becoming the latest countries to endorse the international political commitment known as the Safe Schools Declaration, said the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA). The endorsement came during the international conference on the […]

22 Feb 2017: Hundreds of Tamils in Jaffna solidarity protest for ongoing struggle of Keppapilavu residents image @shalin. By Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon. Almost 16 months since the passage of Resolution 30/1 promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, we see very little tangible progress. CHR believes that Sri Lanka’s historic window of opportunity […]

Taking on  former president Kamarathunga for her statement that “the war-affected Tamil women are now subjected to sexual harassment by men from their own community and military and other public officers”  former president Rajapaksa says that ““what we have here is a former President of Sri Lanka and a former Commander in Chief of our […]

by  Hon. Rajavarothiam Sampanthan – Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are starting this Adjournment Debate half-an-hour behind time. Might I suggest that in case Hon. Members want to speak, you might have to sit a little beyond 7.00 p.m. to be able to accommodate the Hon. Members because we are already […]

Image: Rita Izsak, UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues. From the report of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues on her mission to Sri Lanka. 60. The National Unity   Government   established   in   January   2015   must   be commended for  many of its reform initiatives and positive  practices to promote  good governance and national reconciliation. However, as […]

Image: Sri Lanka civil society delegtes at the CEADW 66. At the ongoing 66 session of CEADW in Geneva  Women’s Action Network  has raised following issues related to Women’s Access to Justice in North and East of Sri Lanka. Transitional Justice (TJ) Today, Sri Lanka claims to be in the process of developing programs for […]

Image: TNA leader Sampanthan withUS house of representatives. Submitting an Adjournment Motion to the parliament Mr. R Sampanthan, Member of Parliament, Leader of Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) and Leader of the Opposition listed the issues needs to be addressed urgently in order to ensure that non – recurrence of ethnic violence  in Sri Lanka. […]

Image: Sri Lanka FM Samaraweera will address a side event on ‘Developments in Sri Lanka’ on 1st March.(c) s.deshapriya. There are 13 side events planned  during the 34 session of the Human Rights Council on the situation in Sri Lanka. The 34th session of the HRC will start on 27the February and end on 24th […]

Image: The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations by its resolution 34/180 almost 30 years ago on 18 December 1979. Activists and 8 women’s rights organisations of Sri Lanka  made collective oral intervention related to women’s human rights issues at […]

Five arrested military intelligence officers are suspected of killing prominent anti-establishment newspaper editor. Lasantha Wickrematunge was the chief editor of the Sunday Leader [File: Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP]Lasantha Wickrematunge was the chief editor of the Sunday Leader [File: Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP] Sri Lankan police have arrested five military intelligence officers on suspicion of killing a well-known anti-establishment newspaper […]

Ruki Fernando. Sellamma is 83 years old. She has a house in Puthukudiyiruppu (PTK) East, Ward no. 7, in the Mullaitivu district in the Northern Province. It’s opposite the PTK Divisional Secretariat (DS). But for more than two weeks, she has been braving the hot sun and cold nights on the street, opposite her house. […]

Image: Sumanthiran at UNHRC,File photo. TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran  has told UNHRC officials in Geneva that the Lankan Government has not fulfilled its commitment on appointing foreign judges to investigate into the alleged war crime. He has according to Ceylon Today has briefed them extensively on the failures in implementing the key aspects of the […]

Image: The Indian foreign Secretary and TNA delegation discussed issued related to  reconciliation in Sri Lanka. (TNA photo) At the meeting with  visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Dr. Jaishanker today the TNA delegation apprised of some pressing issues faced by the Tamil people including the lack of progress in relation to the release of lands held […]

 Abduction and  assault of senior journalist Keith Noyahr. Even though it took a while, taking the perpetrators, Major Bulathwatte and two others Sergeants of Army Intelligence Unit into custody for the assault of senior journalist Keith Noyahr is appreciated by the Free Media Movement. It further demands the government to complete investigations independently regardless undue […]

It will be an uphill task for the Government to reverse the rising trend in prices, particularly essentials that have a crippling effect on middle and low income groups. Their burdens, there is no gainsaying, would increase should the economic situation take a bad turn. Drought no doubt has dealt a striking blow. That is […]

Image:Bodies of JVP followers killed by the PRRA lie on the ground with posters tied around their necks in Tihagoda. The sign says, ”This is the punishment for followers of the JVP signed by the PRRA.”December 1989 (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Liaison) Izeth Hussain. In a mood of heady euphoria following on the election victories in […]

Image courtesy IRIN. Tisaranee Gunasekara. Featured image courtesy tbz.foto via Flickr “Social implosion handed opportunities to those who spotted a basic weakness in the theory and practice of representative democracy.” John Keane (The Life and Death of Democracy) President Donald Trump’s senior counsellor Kellyanne Convey came up with a superb Orwellian term when she dubbed Presidential […]

Image:  Former president Chandrika Kumaratunga speaking at the FCA, Sri Lanka. (AFP photo) Sri Lanka Army has refuted former president Kumatatunga’s statement that “The war-affected Tamil women are now subjected to sexual harassment by men from their own community and military and other public officers” . Ex-president Chandrika Kumaratunga was speaking to the Foreign Correspondent […]