Human Rights

We are writing to ask you to join a solidarity effort for our dear friend Sunila Abeysekera, a leading women’s human rights defender, who is in a life struggle with cancer. Sunila has been a lifelong feminist and human rights activist in Sri Lanka and South Asia, and a major player in the global women’s […]

AHRC-STM-091-2013-1.jpg Lal Wickrematunge, the brother of the assassinated editor of the Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickrematunge, and until very recently the owner of Leader Publications, spoke yesterday to the BBC Sinhala Service. He stated that it is dangerous today to be engaged in publication work in Sri Lanka. Giving views other than the government’s version of […]

Commonwealth Secy-Gen meets Sri Lanka’s HRC delegation “The goal of the Commonwealth’s partnership with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka is to support Sri Lanka’s national efforts and plans to provide access for all its citizens to a life of dignity and opportunity in keeping with the values of the Commonwealth” – Sharma Commonwealth […]

John Baird, Canada’s foreign minister, said he was stunned that Colombo was not facing censure for its behaviour. Photograph: Alex The Canadian government has launched a blistering attack on Sri Lanka‘s “appalling” record on democratic accountability as the controversy intensifies over the Commonwealth‘s decision to allow Colombo to host its biennial heads of government meeting […]

The police have rejected allegations of torture of detainees raised in a US human rights report released by the State Department. Acting police spokesman Priyashantha Jayakody said that the police undergo training in maintaining human rights when carrying out their duties.“There have not been such reports in recent times,” the police spokesman said. He said […]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012: Sri Lanka EXECUTIVE SUMMARYSri Lanka is a constitutional, multiparty republic. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was reelected to a second six-year term in January 2010, and the parliament, which was elected in April 2010, share constitutional power. The government is dominated by the president’s family; two of the […]

SLB The Government of Sri Lanka has launched a SLR 100 million campaign in the US in order to counter the US backed UNHRC resolution which was adopted by 23rd session in March 2013 and to prepare favourable situation  for the 25th session of UNHRC in March 2014, when Sri Lanka situation will be reviewed. […]

Sri LankaThe human rights situation in Sri Lanka in 2012 remained of serious concern, with a number of negative developments, including with regard to freedom of expression and media and judicial independence.  Further progress was made on reintegration of ex-combatants and resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs). There continued to be reports of further abductions […]

Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona “Role of International Criminal Justice in Reconciliation” By Dr. Palitha Kohona, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations “International criminal justice, as it is widely understood today, is very much centered on a Western historical and cultural mind set. It pays only lip service to the cultural […]

”The Government of Sri Lanka is willing to conduct inquiries into any allegations, if duly presented to authorities in Sri Lanka, through the judiciary and military tribunals, in line with practice followed by all other democratic nations.” Statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, Sri Lanka Contact and interaction between Sri Lanka and India has […]

True to Sri Lankan style, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to appoint a ‘presidential commission’ to conduct an inquiry into the Matale mass grave.The mandate of the proposed commission is to be finalized in two days, Presidential Spokesman Mohan Samaranayake, said, confiding to our correspondent that he too is awaiting further instruction with regard to […]

Mahinda Rajapaksha in early 1990s campaigning for justice of the disappeared Make a decisive move on mass grave – Editorial, Ceylon Today This newspaper covered in disturbing detail, the discovery of a mass grave in the backyard of the Matale Hospital, and the gory revelations that emerged subsequently, which were made in two specialist reports […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Vidana Mahaduralage Somarathne, a farmer by possession, was illegally arrested, detained and severely tortured by the four police officers attached to the Polpithigama Police on 20 March 2013 at Ma Eliya Junction. Mr. Vidana started screaming in pain in the early morning of 21 […]

Mrs. Margaret Sekaggya as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders© UN Photo ”Welcomes the work of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, including her two latest reports submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 66/164 and Human Rights Council resolution 16/5, on the use of legislation affecting the activities […]

The country’s rights record has also been marred by charges of extra-judicial killings in the 1970s and 1980 A mass grave found in Sri Lanka with over 150 skeletal remains dates back to a time when thousands of people disappeared during a crackdown on Marxist rebels, a forensics expert said Thursday.Raj Somadeva said he had […]

Following is a news item published in the news website close to  Minister Wimal Weerawansa If Jayalaitha has a craze to get ‘Kachchitivu’ island she will carry the burden of 842, 323 Tamils -Lak Bala Sena If  Jayalilitha has an absolute craze in getting back Kachchtivu Island she will have to take over the 842,323 […]

Mr. Tissa Karaliyadda Condemning the statements made by Minister Tissa Karaliyadda on 11th March 2013,  regarding women in leadership  On the 11th March the Minister of Child Development and Women’s Affairs, Mr. Tissa Karaliyadda, stated that “women are incapable of performing duties of the head chair.” He went on to state that “when a woman […]

The Resolution passed by the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) last Thursday could be described as a soft but dangerous one, Human Rights Commissioner Dr. Prathibha Mahanamahewa said yesterday. Commenting on the possible consequences of the US-backed resolution adopted at the UNHCR Dr. Mahanamahewa said there was no threat at present from the resolution since […]

The UN Human Rights Council Resolution calling for progress on Sri Lanka’s outstanding reconciliation and accountability is merely asking the Government to deliver on promises made to the international community since 2009, the main Opposition said yesterday, reiterating its call for an all-party approach to implement reconciliation measure and avoid further international censure against the […]

The UN’s human rights body has angered Sri Lanka by voting on a new resolution that calls on the island’s government to fully investigate civilian killings in its recent conflict and expresses growing concern over continuing atrocities. But while officials in Colombo insist they are striving to account for the civil war violence and are […]

Even as Sri Lanka comes under heavy international scrutiny about its human rights record in Geneva this month, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday faulted the incumbent regime for signing certain international conventions and protocols that obliged the country to abide by international humanitarian law.Wickremesinghe who was addressing party activists at the UNP Headquarters Sirikotha yesterday […]

Sri-Lanka_130315 ISHARA S.KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom The United States recently introduced its second United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution on Sri Lanka, calling attention to the government’s alleged violations of international human rights law.The resolution supports reconciliation efforts and requires government investigation into allegations of human rights abuses and indiscriminate killings of Tamil civilians that allegedly […]

Nimalka Fernanda: We are talking about men, women and children whose lives are at risk or in danger. Thank you Mr. President,  This is a joint statement made by IMADR, Lawyers Rights Watch Canada and Pasumathai India. We appreciate the new mechanism of UPR. Nevertheless the negotiation process has given rise to reducing the impact […]

On 15th March 2013 UN human rights council will discuss and approve the Universal Periodic Review Sri Lanka  report 2012. The UPR session on Sri Lanka was held on November 2012. What follows is the report presented by Sri Lanka in March 2013 explaining the reasons for not accepting some recommendations and its voluntary commitments. […]

Many Wanniyala-Aetto have been fined for hunting in their forest. Some have even been shot dead. © Survival On March 15, the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) will discuss the human rights record of Sri Lanka, during which the country is likely to come under severe criticism for serious human rights violations, and be […]

Inimical forces trying to achieve what LTTE couldn’t – Security Forces Jaffna Commander Major General Mahinda Haturusinge published in CDN, State Daily) ‘”The only problem the people have to cope with is dealing with the politically bankrupt politicians in the North and South who raise hypothetical issues. The children of these politicians who shed crocodile […]

Observations389. The Working Group regrets that no response was received from the Government to its general allegation on 4 May 2011, concerning serious obstacles encountered in the implementation of the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances in Sri Lanka during the last phase of the war against the Liberation Tigers of […]

The exercise of sending ex-militants to rehabilitation again was begun by the Defense Ministry in Batticaloa at the beginning of this month (February 13th 2013). And under this so far six people have been arrested from Mandur, Kathiraveli, Mangkeni and Naasiventhivu and sent to the Boosa Detention Camp.When their relatives were thus arrested, family members […]

A mother holding to loaf of Bread distributed as dinner after they were forced to leave their buses heading for Colombo ”On March 5th, 2013, at about 8.30pm, the Police blocked about 600 persons, comprising families of the disappeared and civil society activists from the North, from traveling from Vavuniya to Colombo to attend a […]

One year ago Mohan Peiris wasdefending GoSL anti human Rights postion at UN HRC Chief Justice Mohan Peiris has said that Sri Lanka could teach lessons on human rights to the US and  the EU although they are trying to teach human rights to Sri Lanka now in Geneva. “Today at the Geneva conference, the European […]