Protected by the police, around 30 supporters of ruling party held a counter demonstration opposite the #FreeJeyakumary campaign held in front of Fort Railway station on 29th Sep 2014. The mob displayed a banner showing leading civil society activists in Sri Lanka ridiculing them. [From Right to left in the banner:  President of the International Movement […]

[British Deputy High Commissioner in Colombo Laura ] Looking over my shoulder by  Laura Davies  A couple of weeks ago, I went on an official trip to the East.  Starting in Arugam Bay, we drove North all the way to Trincomalee, through Pottuvil, Oluvil, Kalmunai and Batticaloa.  I met with government and political interlocutors, humanitarian […]

Freddy Gamage, the convener of the Professional Web Journalists Association (PWJA) says that they hold the Government responsible for disrupting their two day on 27/28 Sep 2014. Issuing a statement he says that he was told  the local police and by an officer from the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) on 27 September morning that they […]

Civil society members and politicians came together at a campaign in Colombo, seeking the release of Balendran Jeyakumari, who was arrested by Sri Lanka’s Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) in March this year. They demanded that the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) — under which Ms. Jeyakumari was detained — be repealed immediately. It has been […]

MULANGAVIL: The Presidential Commission on Disappearances and War Crimes (DWC) has asked President Mahinda Rajapaksa to establish an Investigating Team to help it pursue cases of alleged involuntary disappearance in the country. Talking to a group of news persons at a sitting of the commission in Mulangavil in North West Sri Lanka on Sunday, the […]

[Monk Wirathu, as an evil force] Burmese Monk Ashin Wirathu thero expressed his gratitude to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for intervening to grant him visa to enter the country amidst huge criticism from Muslim organizations. Monk wirathu praising the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), asked them to continue their policies in Sri Lanka. Leader of […]

The following is an excerpt from the speech delivered by Upul Jaysuriya, President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) at the opening of the refurbished auditorium under the name of Dr. H. W. Jayawardene on September 27. With the promulgation of the 1978 Constitution several new Judges were appointed directly from the unofficial […]

Summary: August 30th is the International Day of victims of Enforced Disappearances, but in Sri Lanka, it was a month when families of disappeared persons and those supporting them faced threats, intimidations, restrictions and false accusations by Buddhist Monks led mobs, Police and the state media. Police blocked a peaceful march on the International Day […]

Another media workshop has been threatened and disrupted by state intelligence agencies and the unruly mob called so-called Nation Building Union on 27th September. This is the 4th media workshop disrupted by the same manner in recent times. On two previous occasions mobs belong to the Nation Building Union disrupted media workshops. They had been […]

If President Rajapaksa decides to contest for a another presidential term he has to be defeated and no single party alone can do the task, says JVP leader Anura Kumara Disanayaka. At the same time he insists that JVP under any circumstances will not support UNP leader Ranil Wikremasinghe as a common candidate. He calls […]

[Monks Wirathu and BBS head Gnanasara] Controversial Myanmar monk Wirathu attends a meeting of Buddhist monks at a monastery near Yangon in June 2013. Sri Lanka’s main nationalist group will host the cleric Sri Lanka’s main Buddhist nationalist group on Saturday announced it will host a radical cleric from Myanmar who is accused of fanning […]

[Former CJ Shirani Bandaranayake – File Photo] In a new twit in the case against former CJ Shirani Bandaranayake the national development bank has refused to comply a court order and not allowed her computer experts to inspect the log-in data of the accounts said to belong to Ms. Bandaranayakes and had demanded US$472, 200 […]

[Sri Lankan commandos march during a Victory Day parade in the southern town of Matara on May 18, 2014 (AFP Photo/Lakruwan Wanniarachchi)] Sri Lanka raised defence spending to record levels for a second straight year despite pressure to scale down its military after ending decades of ethnic war, official figures showed Friday. The government allocated […]

Dear Mr. President, “You must be the change you want to see in the world” The Sri Lankan Lion roared at the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly reminding the global community that “…, in order to gain the confidence and goodwill of the international community as a whole, but one of the essential […]

Please call on the GOSL to release Jeyakumary and all other political prisoners unlawfully detained without charges, with immediate effect. Join the campaign on the 29th of Sept (Mon), at 4pm, at the Fort Railway Station, to show our solidarity with Jeyakumary and all other political prisoners who have been arrested and unlawfully detained without […]

[Remembrance is a taboo for Tamils in Sri Lanka] Sri Lankan Police in Batticaloa has been harassing the families of the victims of 1990 Puthukkudiyiruppu massacre on Sunday when they gathered to observe the annual memorial event in front of the statue of 17 civilians who were slain by ‘homeguards’ paramilitary operated by the Sri […]

[UNP has been targeted in post election violence] Uva Provincial Council Elections 2014: Communiqué on 9 Incidents of Post-Election Violence By CMEV- The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) has been informed of 9 incidents of violence after the conclusion of the Uva Provincial Council elections held on 20th September 2014. The incidents reported to […]

[Monks led mobs have disrupted peaceful meetings on several occasions] Sri Lanka has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which guarantees freedom of assembly and association. This is reinforced by the Sri Lankan constitution, which also guarantees freedom of assembly and association[1]. However, freedom of assembly and association is considered as […]

[27 session of the UNHRC photo:US mission Geneva] The European Union and several other countries have urged Sri Lanka to cooperate with the OHCHR Investigation into Sri Lanka, after the oral update by the UN human rights chief. In their statement, the EU said it regrets the position of Sri Lanka not to cooperate with […]

[Mahinda Rajapaksa, addresses the 69th United Nations General Assembly – Reuters] UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa assailed the United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday in his address to the U.N. General Assembly, calling its probe into Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war disproportionate and politically motivated. Sri Lanka has refused to […]

[Rajani Thiranagama was gunned down by the Tigers ] Revisiting a Tamil democrat’s legacy By Meera Srinivasan Best known for the book The Broken Palmyra, she had predicted the demise of LTTE In September 1989, Sri Lanka’s Northern Province lost one of its most prominent human rights defenders following the death of Rajani Thiranagama, who […]

Introduction to the report ‘Liking violence: A study of hate speech on Facebook in Sri Lanka’ By Sanjana Hattotuwa “Hate speech” on the Internet is a global concern and with no kill-switch solution. Depending on the location online, language and media used, context and sometimes even the nature of the actors concerned, dealing with hate […]

[Who will have the last laugh?] Uva Beginning of a change? Wishawamithra 1984 “The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”~Sun Tzu What materialized at the elections held on Saturday, September 20 was the possibility number 3 as […]

[Press freedom protest in Colombo-file photo] Recent reports indicate that physical attacks on journalists in Sri Lanka continue unabated despite repeated assurances by the Government of Sri Lanka to respect media freedom. Press freedom watchdog the Free Media Movement issuing a statement says that during the last few days journalists in the North and as […]

In his oral update on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka. the the High Commissioner for Human Rights says that ”Notwithstanding the commendable progress the Sri Lankan Government has made in resettlement and reconstruction, the High Commissioner firmly believes that a more fundamental and far-reaching accountability process in Sri Lanka, addressing both […]

[Avdhash Kaushal, Chairperson of Dehradun-based NGO Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra] If the agenda doesn’t suit me, I will quit – Kaushal Q: Reading some of your comments in the media, you seemed to be ‘biased’ in your approach towards the Tamils, but highly supportive of the government’s approach. How then can you be in […]

[The protest March] Tamils in Puthukkudiyiruppu protested against land grabs by the Sri Lankan security forces on Monday, reports Uthayan. Demonstrators shouted slogans and held placards reading, “Army get out”, “We want our land”, “We want our house” and “Stop Sinhala settlements”. Protesters also condemned the ongoing enforced disappearances, saying, “Release our disappeared children”, “What […]

[Several houses attacked] JVP and UNP candidates assaulted – Several houses attacked By CaFFE Several United National Party (UNP) and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) members who contested for the Uva provincial council elections were assaulted yesterday (21) night and today morning by groups travelling in Defender Jeeps. Number of their offices has also been attacked. […]

[TNA position: loud and clear] Filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court, the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) today affirmed that neither the ITAK nor the TNA had as its objective the setting up of a separate state within the territory of Sri Lanka. ITAK President Mavai Senathirajah filed this affidavit, when the six petitions […]

[New High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein] The on going 27th session of the UNHRC will take up number of important resolutions to be adopted at the end of this week. Although Russia, China, India and Pakistan opposes importance resolution related to democratic governance and equal rights, it is expected that following resolution will be […]