Image: A  house of a ex-female cadre in Vanni, 2016. Inequality is now one of the most internationally researched and debated social issues. Rising income inequalities between and within countries after the neo-liberal turn of the 1970s gained further attention with the global economic crisis of 2008. As inequality became a central concern of studies […]

Image: A protester during the Oct 2018 constitutional coup. In democracies, elections usually are significant political turning points. In democratic theory, an election marks two key opportunities to the people as well as the rulers. For the people, it marks the periodic occasion to elect their rulers and grant them authority to rule over them for […]

The Hybrid Court could be constituted following the example of the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) under the Chairmanship of Justice Bhagavathy, former Northern Province Chief Minister and former Supreme Court Judge C.V. Wigneswaran said. “Having already granted nearly four years by Resolutions Numbers 30/1 and 34/1, the granting of a further two […]

By N Sathiya Moorthy. By declaring that he was confident of winning the presidential elections later this year, Gota Rajapaksa has said that he wants to become what he claims the people are tired of – namely, ‘mainstream politicians’. Better or worse still, Gota’s brother Basil R has welcomed the other’s decision to contest the […]

Image: Torture by prison officials at Agunakolapalassa prison came in to light through a leaked CCTV footage. (Press release/29 March, 2019)  GENEVA  — The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture is set to carry out its first visit to Sri Lanka from 2 to 12 April to examine the treatment of people deprived of […]

Image: A protest in Kilinochchi last June against the micro-finance system. By Saman Gunadasa (28 March 2019 /WSW) According to a March 17 report in Sri Lanka’s Observer newspaper, at least 170 debt-ridden rural residents, mainly women, committed suicide last year. Most of those who took their lives were from the island’s war-devastated North and East. The […]

Image: Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative in Geneva Ambassador A.L.A. Azeez . President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday stressed that he would not implement any decisions that would violate the country’s Constitution and independence at the whims and fancies of the international community or any other persons. The President commenting on UN Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet’s proposal to […]

 Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) believes the controversy surrounding the proposed USD 3.85 billion oil refinery in Mirijjawila, Hambantota, could have a negative impact on Sri Lanka’s efforts to remove itself from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) ‘Grey List’ of countries vulnerable to money laundering and terrorism financing. The main investor in the project, […]

GENEVA (27 March 2019) — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet said Wednesday that a newspaper article quoting a senior Sri Lankan official “seriously misrepresents” her discussion of the recent UN Human Rights Office report1 on Sri Lanka with a Government delegation attending the Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 20. Monday’s article […]

Sunday Observer cartoon by @wasanthasiri . A well-functioning legal system can be measured by its response to daily crimes and complaints. This is a much better test in fact, rather than a country’s constitution (in Sri Lanka’s case, the 1978 constitution still remains a major barrier to the functioning of a legal system), or statutes, […]

Aanya Wipulasena. Mahinda Rajapaksa’s claim that the star rugby player was killed driving at 175km per hour has irked the murdered sportsman’s family after his administration presided over a murder cover-up for three years. Sunday Observer can reveal new details this week, about the last few hours of Wasim Thajudeen’s life and how telephone analysis […]

Photo:Rear Admiral A. Guruge, The now famous CID investigation into the abduction and murder of 11 youth by a Navy extortion gang, helped sleuths to break open a secondary racket involving a separate group of naval personnel, including high ranking officers, to abduct businessmen for ransom In June 2010 the gang robbery unit of the […]

Sri Lanka’s non-compliance later had forced the UN rights body resolutions. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that Sri Lanka preserved its sovereignty by not agreeing to set up an office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the country even as main Tamil party TNA called for allowing foreign judges and prosecutors […]

Image: Section of the war victims campaigned against another resolution on Sri Lanka ( Tweeter photo) The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) acknowledges the passing of the resolution ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’ (40/1) at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and thank all those who worked towards it, particularly the thirty-two […]

Human Rights Council Fortieth session 25 February–22 March 2019 Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka Albania,* Australia, Austria, Belgium,* Bulgaria, Canada,* Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland,* France,* Georgia,* Germany,* Greece,* Iceland, Ireland,* Italy, Luxembourg,* Malta,* Montenegro,* Netherlands,* New Zealand,* North Macedonia,* Norway,* Poland,* Romania,* San Marino,* Slovakia, Sri Lanka,* Sweden,* United Kingdom of […]

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s main minority Tamil party demanded Friday that foreign judges be included in a special court to investigate war crimes, a day after the UN again granted Colombo more time for a much-delayed probe. Government troops have been accused of killing at least 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians in the final months of the island […]

Image: Sandaya Ekneligoda has been fighting for justice for years , but national institutions has not been able to bring the killers her husband to book. The ratification by consensus of Resolution No 40/1 by the UN Human Rights Council has given Sri Lanka another two years in which to implement the commitments it made […]

Image: File photo of alt-Sinahala nationalist demo against international involvement  in a justice mechanism. (20/03/ 2019 Geneva) The ICJ today called at the UN for prompt establishment of a judicial accountability mechanism with international involvement, for Sri Lanka.The statement, delivered during an interactive dialogue on the OHCHR report on Sri Lanka at the Human Rights […]

Geneva, March 21 (newsin.asia): The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC): on Thursday through consensus passed a resolution giving the government of Sri Lanka two more years to implement the resolution 30/1 of 2015, ie: until March 2021. After the resolution was adopted the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana, said that the passing of the […]

(20 March 2019.)The Human Rights Council this morning held an interactive dialogue on the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka. Interactive Dialogue on Sri Lanka The Council has before it Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka – Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (A/HRC/40/23) Presentation of […]

Image: Sri Lanka delegation at HRC 40. The Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva. Human Rights Council, 40th Regular Session. Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights on ‘Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka’, Statement by Hon. Tilak Marapana, PC., MP, Minister of Foreign […]

By Mangala Samaraweera. In his statement, as usual aimed at hoodwinking the masses, he assumes a commanding and almost martial tone. Packing it with misinformation to mislead the public, he seems to forget the small detail that he is no longer the President or even the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka – fake or otherwise. […]

Image: Sri Lanka Attorney at Law Ameer Faaiz ( on right) made the intervention behalf of IMADR and FI. Thank you, Mr. President. I was here, with you, a year ago, sharing my dismay at the terrible events that were taking place in Sri Lanka, my country, in March 2018. You will recall, violent mobs led […]

Photo: Following the union meeting the Swarnavahini TV offices were locked. Credit: Indira Nawagamuwa, March 19, 2019/Media Release. The Free Media Movement strongly condemns the decision to suspend some of the media employees of Swarnavahini TV. The Free Media Movement strongly condemns the decision by the administering body of Swarnavahini, EAP Broadcasting Company, to suspend the […]

New Delhi: India’s desire to give some breathing space to Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe found a sympathetic ear in the international community. His government is to be granted a further extension of two years to carry out key pledges on transitional justice and accountability. Just before the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) session ends […]

Mar 19, 2019/ ECONOMYNEXT – Facebook took down an offensive post by an anchor working for Sri Lanka’s Derana TV and also deleted several equally offending posts justifying the massacre of 50 people in New Zealand. “We’ve reviewed the share you reported,” Facebook told one of its users who was upset by what he called the […]

Image: FMM convener C.Dodawatta at the press conference on 18 March 2019. MARCH 18, 2019/ Colombo, Sri Lanka. Media rights activists on Monday urged the Sri Lankan government to withdraw proposed anti-terror legislation, calling it is a set of draconian laws aimed at suppressing the media freedom and democratic rights. The new Counter-Terrorism bill approved […]

The press in Sri Lanka, especially the Sinhala press has been avidly following the progress of the proposed alliance between the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) quite closely. The center piece of this attraction has been the choice of its presidential candidate, seemingly a choice between incumbent President […]

The UN Resolution 30/1 on Sri-Lanka was adopted by the Council along with the co-spon-sorship of Sri-Lanka to ensure truth, justice, reparation and non-recurrence based on the inter-national human rights law and international humanitarian law. But the Sri-Lankan government has given up these international standards and the objectives of the Resolution 30/1 and uses it […]

(Press Statement/TNA) The former United Nations Under Secretary General for political Affairs Mr Jeffrey Feltman met with the Leader of the Tamil National Alliance Mr. Sampanthan in Colombo today (18.03.2019) Mr Jeffrey Feltman commended the TNA and its Leader for the crucial role they played aftermath of the events took place 26th of October 2018. […]