Features

Solidarity with Human Rights Defender and Attorney at Law Mr. Lakshan Dias. We are appalled by the Minister of Justice’s attempts to intimidate Attorney-at-Law Mr. Lakshan Dias, with threats that steps would be taken in terms of the law to have him removed from the legal profession. We condemn this conduct of the Minister as an abuse of […]

Image: White flag being hoisted on the top on the Meetotamulla Garbage dump after the tragedy in April 2017. Kishali Pinto Jayawaradene. It is a typical incongruity of these times that constitutional reforms promising protection of civil liberties are discussed in tight-lipped seriousness in Colombo even while the police seem unable to arrest the hate […]

An image from the documentary ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields. R. Sampanthan, Leader of the opposition and the TNA  reiterated the need for full and expeditious implementation of the UN Human Rights Council Resolution if Sri Lanka wants to stop crimes against humanity taking place in the country again. He was speaking at the parliament on  the […]

 Shiran Illanperuma. Reporting from Mullivaikkal, Mullaitivu. The harassment of a Jesuit priest, organising a memorial service to mark the brutal end of the Civil War—where at least 40,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed—has raised concerns over the continuing surveillance of memorialisation efforts in the war-scarred North-East and its effect on reconciliation.Father Elil Rajendram […]

Kishali Pinto Jayawaradene. The perception that Sri Lanka’s proposed Counter-Terror Act (CTA) will affect only those of one community or another engaging in ‘terrorist’ activities and is therefore, of incidental concern to the citizenry at large is a misapprehension that is most unfortunate. CTA poses dangers beyond the PTA and the PSO Let us be […]

Sri Lanka’s civil war ended eight years ago today, but for its 90,000 war widows, the battle continues. By Devon Haynie. VAVUNIYA, Sri Lanka — It was midnight in 2008 when several members of Sri Lanka’s security forces barged into Rajendran Geetha’s house and took her husband, Sekar, from bed. “We only need him for […]

Image: Aerial view of the Joint Oppositions May Day- ally at the Galle Face Green;Imag Mahinda Rajapaksas official Facebook page. It was some half a century ago that we marched crying the slogan “We are going to – Galle Face; Come with us to – Galle Face.” My elder brother and I had two red shirts […]

By Avani Dias.  Women and girls whose male relatives were killed in Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war are now helping the country recover, taking on roles formerly reserved for men and heading to schools and universities to complete their education. The so-called “Border Girls” mostly come from towns and villages which formed a human buffer […]

Image: May day 2017 in Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka, Credit: Garikaalan. As EU Parliament Considers Preferential Trade Status to Sri Lanka, Ensuring Human Rights Compliance Is Key. By Shreen Abdul Saroor You see a shirt. The price is right: you buy it. “Made in Sri Lanka,” it says. What you probably don’t think about is the real […]

Image: Chelvanayagam at the 1961 sathyagrahaya.  Rajitha Senarathna. When we were political cubs, we knew of Chelvanayagam as one who was the “father” figure of Tamil Nationalism. He was one Tamil political leader who was affectionately called “Thanthai” – meaning ‘Father’ – Chelva. Samuel James Velupillai Chelvanayagam dominated Tamil politics in the first 03 decades in […]

Image: Protesting people of Kepapulavu, Mullaithevu against military occupation of their land. credit- Garikaalan. Writing letter to European Union and its relevant officials,  a network of German human rights organizations has called for a deferral of granting GSP + to Sri Lanka if the GoSL not prepared to substantially ‘deliver’ in time and in concrete terms. […]

By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan. The people of the North and East came to the street protesting and urging the release of their lands that were taken by the military. Their daring protests have been ‘heard’ and several lands occupied by the security forces are being released gradually paving the way for Tamils to resettle. However, […]

In a letter address to the Leaders of the Government of Sri Lanka and copied to UNHRC officals number of international human rights organisations have requested to ensure the safety of two Sri Lanka human rights defenders, namely Dr. Nimalka Fernando and Sunanda Deshapriya. the letter says that “Against this backdrop, we, the undersigned human […]

Image: Sitti, a Sri Lanka mother of a disappered son taking a rest during a demostration in front of UNHRC HQ in Geneva, March 2015. (c)s.deshapriya. Two prominnat human rights defenders of Sri Lanka and Deputy Foreign Minister speeks on the  contested issue of participation of foreign judges in Sri Lankan judicial Mechanism, that is […]

The Information Department of Sri Lanka has obtained a draft  act in order to establish an independent Media Council as explained in its call for public views for establishing such a mechanism.  The draft act has been named as “Independent Council for News Media Standards Act” . The draft  has been prepared by Wijayananda Jayaweera, […]

The team: Speakers and few others posed for a phtograph after the side event. (c) s.deshapriya. On Friday 17th March at the 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR), jointly with  Franciscans International and Minority Rights Group International (MRG), held a side event […]

Image: Members of a Sri Lankan civil society organisation participate in a candlelight in memory of the slain editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper Lasantha Wickrematunga, in Colombo on January 15, 2009. The editor of Sri Lanka’s Sunday Leader newspaper, Lasantha Wickrematunga, was gunned down just outside the capital on January 8, 2009. AFP PHOTO/Lakruwan […]

Image: Samaraweera speaking at a side event during the HRC 34 ©s.deshapriya. By Maangala Samaeaweera. Response to Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Media Release of 13 March 2017. On 13 March 2017 the former President of our country, Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, issued a media release titled “Constitutional and legal reforms to destroy the nation”. My initial inclination, […]

Image: Thus, when we commemorate the hundred years of Russian Revolution, we are doing it not in an empty historical space. by Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda. (Text of the key note speech delivered by Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda on March 13, 2017, on the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution, Colombo.) When we commemorate the one hundredth […]

by Ruki Fernando and Marisa de Silva. We first met 83 year old grandmother Sellamma when she was part of a protest fast outside the Puthukudiyiruppu Divisional Secretariat. At that time, her land and house across the road had been occupied by the Army for eight years. She was protesting along with her neighbours, mostly […]

Image: Rosanna Flamer-Caldera.(frontpage.lk) by Rosanna Flamer-Caldera. Ceylon’s colonization by the British rule had a sizeable impact on what we now deem as cultural and social norms in Sri Lanka today. When the British established themselves in this country, they brought in their morals and culture which contrasted dramatically with what we Sri Lankans practised pre-colonization. […]

Lighter moment before the consultation: Julian Braithwaite, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of UK and Erin M. Barclay, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, USA. ©s,deshapriya. First informal discussion on the zero draft of the resolution on Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka at the ongoing 34th session of the HRC was held yesterday […]

Image: Sri Lanka flag at the entrance to   Palais des Nations, UNHRC head offcie in Geneva. Summary The present report assesses the progress made in the implementation of Human Rights Council resolution 30/1, on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka between October 2015 and January 2017. On that basis, the United Nations […]

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 […]

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 […]

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: Human rights activist Sudarshana Gunawardene. Excerpts from and interview with Attorney at law and executive director of Right Now Collective for Democracy Sudarshana Gunawaradena. To me, the Sri Lankan identity is open to change. Some people refer to our history starting with Ravana. This epic says Ravana went to India and returned with Sita. […]

Image:  S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole. Member of Sri Lanka’s election commission, S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole is predicting long over due local government results and thretening to disrupt election process if he is not provided more finacial allowences. He was nominated by the TNA to the election commision although he did not apply to be apointed to […]

Laksiri Fernando. “A ‘revolution’ is any combination of events which produces a radical shift in consciousness or behaviour over a relatively short period of time.” – David Crystal. The matters of ethnic reconciliation and economic development in Sri Lanka are closely intertwined. It is largely accepted today that erroneous language policies in the past have […]

Image: Neelan, Rajini and Amirthalingam all killed by the LTTE for being moderate. By Manekshaw. Plans to assassinate Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian Mathiaparanam Abraham Sumanthiran, who is a confidant of TNA Leader and Leader of the Opposition R. Sampanthan, have been unearthed by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) with the arrest of five suspects. […]