Image: Dr. Deepika Udagama, (Daily FT)
Statement by 37 CSOs and 170 Individuals Condemning Attacks Against HRCSL Chairperson Dr. Deepika Udagama.
We are appalled at statements akin to death threats, violence and hate speech against the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), Dr. Deepika Udagama, a highly respected scholar and human rights advocate. We express grave concern and alarm at these statements and extend our solidarity and support to Dr. Udagama.
We take this opportunity to welcome the independent, substantive and transparent policy interventions made by the HRCSL under Dr. Udagama’s leadership. We also welcome the Commission’s proactive investigations into individual cases and the consultative processes and mechanisms it has put in place including with government and non-government entities. Among the Commission’s work has been the independent vetting process undertaken in relation to the deployment of military personnel for UN peacekeeping operations, which has led to these recent threats. We reiterate that this is part of the mandate of the HRCSL and applaud its commitment to continue despite threats. We welcome the HRCSL’s transparency in clarifying the process of this work in response to misleading and false information published by some media.
The threats against Dr. Udugama as chairperson of the HRCSL, made by Rear Admiral (Rtd.) Sarath Weerasekera, former Director General of the Civil Defence Force, at a media briefing called by the ‘Jathika Sanvidana Ekatuwa’ and published in “Mawbima” a weekly Sinhala language newspaper, on 29th June 2018, are directly linked to the HRCSL’s role in this vetting process, undertaken at the request of the Government of Sri Lanka and with the agreement of the Sri Lanka Army. Dr. Udagama, was also accused of working with NGOs to treacherously further the interests of the Tigers and Rear Admiral Weerasekera called for the death penalty for all traitors under the rule of a patriotic government.
The nature of the attack against Dr. Udagama is of course nothing new. Rear Admiral Weerasekera and others like him routinely seek to discredit, delegitimize and dismiss opinions and actions of those that they are not in agreement with ‘as the work of NGOs, tiger terrorists and unpatriotic elements’ without engaging in reasoned and rational debate. The mainstream media simply reproduces these statements without any analysis or investigation of what is being said.
The current leadership of the HRCSL has time and again demonstrated its independence from the State and private entities. We wish to stress that the Commissioners of the HRCSL were selected by the Constitutional Council, established by popular demand, through the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka in 2015. It is the diligence and good practice established by the current leadership that resulted in the HRCSL being reinstated to an institution with ‘A’ status under the Paris Principles of 1993, which frame and guide the work of National Human Rights Institutions across the world. We welcome this recognition as another indicator of the institutional integrity re-established by the HRCSL under the leadership of Dr. Udagama.
That the HRCSL Chairperson should be threatened publicly in such a manner and that the Mawbima newspaper chose to highlight such irresponsible statements is a matter of serious concern. We condemn these statements and the impunity with which they are made. We call on the President, the Prime Minister and all political leaders to publicly express their confidence in the Chairperson and HRCSL, ensure her protection and that of the other Commissioners and Staff of HRCSL, and enable a safe environment conducive to the work of the HRCSL being carried out without interference, threat or compromise.
Signatures
Dr. Kumari Jayawardena
Prof. Gananath Obeyesekera
Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda
Prof. Ajit Abeysekera
Prof. Arjuna Aluwihare
Prof. Jayantha Seneviratne
Prof. Kumar David
Prof. Neloufer de Mel
Prof. S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole
Dr Reeza Hameed
Dr. Gameela Samarasinghe
Dr. Malathi De Alwis
Dr. Selvy Thiruchandran
Dr. Sepali Kottegoda
Dr. Shermal Wijewardene
Dr. Vasuki Nesiah
Dr. Sakuntala Kadirgamar
Gamini Viyangoda
Ruki Fernando
Anushya Coomaraswamy
Anberiya Hanifa
B. Gowthaman
Balasingham Skanthakumar
Bhavani Fonseka
Brito Fernando
Phillip Dissanayake
D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Suren Perera
Lakshman Gunasekara
Lionel Guruge
Shreen Saroor
Sumika Perera
Anthony Vinoth
Aritha Wickramasinghe
Arjun Guneratne
Aruna Alwis
Asma Rahman
Avanti Ratnayeke
Buddhima Padmasiri
C.R. Gnanarajah
Chamila Thushari
Charmaine Ratnagopal
Raisa Wickrematunge
Ranee Ratnayeke
Damith Chandimal
Deekshya Illangasinghe
Dilini Hemachandra
Farah Mihlar
Fathima Razik Cader
Freddy Gamage
Gamini Akmeemana
Gayathri Gamage
Mario Gomez
Marisa De Silva
Marsha Daniel
Rosanna Flamer-Caldera
Mathuri Thamilmaran
Meena Udeshi
Melani Manel Perera
Lucille Abeykoon
Suriya Wickremasinghe
Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala
Danesh Casie Chetty
Geoffrey Alagaratnam, PC
Lal Wijenayake
Chandra Jayaratne
Manel Fonseka
Chandraguptha Thenuwara
Kumudini Samuel
Fr. Nandana Manatunga
Dilrukshi Handunnetti
Herman Kumara
Chulani Kodikara
Sr. Nichola
Sandhya Ekneligoda
Sandun Thudugala
Godfrey Yogarajah
Sunanda Deshapriya
Kumaravadivel Guruparan
Faaiz Ameer
Deanne Uyangoda
Dinushika Dissanayake
Druki Martinstyne
Emil van der Poorten
Ermiza Tegal
Gehan Gunatilleke
Ramani Muttettuwegama
Sanjana Hattotuwa
Sarala Emmanuel
Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala
Jayathilaka Bandara
Jehan Perera
Jensila Majeed
F. Zackariya
Udaya Kalupathirana
Joanne Senn
Juwairiya Mohideen
Natasha Balendra
Nigel Nugawela
H.J.F. Silva
Hans Billimoria
Hasanah Cegu Isadeen
J. Henry de Mel
Jayanta de S Wijeratne
K. Aingkaran
Kalani Subasinghe
Kamani Jinadasa
Kanishka Goonewardena
Kaushalya Fernando
Kshama Ranawana
Mahalaxumy Kurushanthan
Mangaleswary Shanker
Manthri Perera
Meneka Galigamuwa
Kusal Perera
Mohandas Thangarajah
Mujeebur Rahman
Paba Deshapriya
Thiyagaraja Waradas
Anuratha Rajaretnam
Anushika Amarasinghe
Nilantha Ilangamuwa
Nilshan Fonseka
Christine Perera
Damaris Wickremesekera
Kushlani Perera
Nirmanusan Balasundaram.
P. Selvaratnam
Prabha Nagalingham
Peter Munieram
Peter Rezel
Prabodha Rathnayaka
Prabu Deepan
Prasanga Fernando
Priya Mohan
Priyalal Sirisena
Priyantha Gamage
R.M.B Senanayake
Rumala Morel
Ruvini Perera
Sabra Zahid
Sachini Perera
Sahira Lafir
Sampath Samarakoon
Sato Jayamaha
Savithri Rodrigo
Shalomi Daniel
Shamila Daluwatte
Sharanya Sekaram
Sheila Richards
Shenali De Silva
Shyama Perera
Shyamala Gomez
Stella Victor
Subha Wijesiriwardena.
Sucharitha Patnatunga
Swasthika Arulingam
Tanuja Thurairajah
Tara Ramanayake
Tehani Ariyaratne
Thaha Muzammil
Tharanga de Silva
Thenu Ranketh
Thyagi Ruwanpathirana
Udeni Thewarapperuma
Vanie Simon
Vasanthi Harasgama
Visaka Dharmadasa
Yasir Ismail
Zahabia Adamaly
Organizations
- Affected Women’s Forum, Ampara
- Afriel Youth Network.
- Alliance Development Trust
- Alternative Generation for Social Justice and Rights, Jaffna
- Ampara District Women’s Network (ADWN), Kalmunai/Ampara
- Association of War Affected Women
- Batticaloa District Aruvi Women’s Network (BDWN), Batticaloa
- Center for Humanitarian and Integrated Development (CHID – Mullai), Mullaitivu
- Civil and Political Rights AMAYAM (CPR AMAYAM), Eastern Province
- Civil Rights Forum (CRF), Kilinochchi
- Equal Ground, Sri Lanka
- Families of the Disappeared
- Forum for Affected People , Mannar
- Future in Our Hands Development Fund Badulla
- Human Development Organization
- Human Rights Office, Kandy
- Humanitarian and Human Rights AHAM (HHR – AHAM)
- INFORM Human Rights Documentation Center
- International Center for Ethnic Studies (ICES)
- Law and Human Rights Center (LHRC), Jaffna
- Law and Society Trust, Colombo.
- Mannar Social and Economical Development Organization (MSEDO), Mannar
- Mannar Women’s Development Federation
- Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR)
- Muslim Women Development Trust Puttalam
- NAFSO – National Fisheries Solidarity Movement
- National Peace Council
- North East Coordinating Committee (NECC)
- People for Justice Center (PJC), Vavuniya
- People’s Collective for Climate Justice (PCCJ), Eastern Province
- Right to Life Human Rights Center
- Rights now – Collective for Democracy
- Trincomalee District Women’s Network (TDWN), Trincomalee
- Venasa Transgender Network
- Women and Media Collective
- Women’s Action Network
- Workers Solidarity Union