Freedom of expression

A news story that said that “CCD pressured me to frame Shani Abeysekara – arrested fmr CID officer tells Magistrate”  appeared on Daily Mirror newspaper on 04 th August was deleted within hours.Senior Journalist Ranga Jayasuriya tweeted at 1.55PM Sri Lanka time thus: Dauly Mirror has first published at 10.34 AM a news story on […]

The undersigned civil society organisations congratulate and welcome Irene Khan to her new role as Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. We take this opportunity to express our strong support for the vital work of the mandate. We stand ready to support the new mandate […]

Sri Lanka today is facing an unprecedented political, economic and social crisis; as a nation we are gazing into the abyss at the edge of a precipice. This is truly an existentialist moment for all Sri Lankans; each individual must make meaningful choices and the choices they make will define Sri Lanka’s future for generations […]

Image: Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa wearing a protective mask gestures at his party candidates as he arrives at a campaign rally ahead of country’s parliamentary election, in Homagama, Sri Lanka, July 22, 2020. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte. Sri Lanka’s upcoming parliamentary elections will serve as an indicator of the island’s future political direction, potential executive […]

Atheist, rationalist and social media activist Indika Rathnayake has been questioned by Organized Crimes Prevention Division (OCPD) for three hours today (29 July 2020). He has been questioned by Police consequent to a hate complaint lodged by a chief monk affiliated to the Buddhist extremist and racist organization, Buddhist Information Center(BIC). Police had questioned Rathnayake […]

Lawyers, Human Rights Defenders and Journalists Arrested, Threatened, Intimidated 29 July 2020: The Sri Lankan government should end the targeted arrests, intimidation and threats against the lives and physical security of lawyers, activists, human rights defenders and journalists, 10 international human rights organizations said today. A campaign of fear has intensified since the 2019 presidential […]

This report provides an account of the incidence of hate speech and divisive language observed by the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) in the campaign for the Parliamentary General Election 2020. It details notable incidents of hate speech and divisive language, and trends in them throughout the campaign period. It also highlights a public […]

Devotees will be required to present proof of identity to enter the Nallur Kandasamy temple in Jaffna, the Sri Lankan police announced as the temple’s annual festival – thiruvizha – begins. “All arrangements for the festival have been completed. All devotees visiting the temple will only be authorised to enter the temple by showing a piece of […]

In the last few months, human rights lawyers and journalists have faced arrests, threats and harassment. A report by the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association published in May 2020 shows that civil society faced challenges to register and operate while there have been various barriers to protests. […]

Summons has been issued to social media based online commentator, Indika Rathnayaka, to be present at the Organised Crimes Prevention Division, on 29 July, to record a statement. On 8 June, Executive Director of the Buddhist Information Centre (BIC), Ven. Angulugalle Siri Jinananda Thera lodged a complaint in writing with the Director of the Criminal […]

Image: A file photo. The Free Media movement strongly condemns the obstruction by police officers outside the court premises, to the attempt made by Chamal Fernando, a journalist of the Sri Lanka Rūpavāhinī Corporation who went there on 15.07.2020 to report the driver responsible for the fatal accident of police officers in Matara Kirinda, being […]

Image: Hejaaz Hizbullah. By Thyagi Ruwanpathirana, Researcher at Amnesty International. As much of the island was celebrating the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, senior lawyer and minority and civic rights activist Hejaaz Hizbullah got an unusual call from the Ministry of Health. They said they were worried he may have contracted COVID-19 and advised him to […]

“Considering growing concerns over shrinking space for dissent domestically, the Council remains effectively the only forum where Sri Lankan civil society has the possibility to engage openly in dialogue with the Government and other States on human rights concerns in Sri Lanka and the Human Rights Council needs to take a more robust approach on […]

Six journalists’ organisations in Sri Lanka have come together to launch a Chater on  Rights and Responsibilities of Journalists in the face of increasing threats to jobs and their rights in the country.  It says that “Within the last 12 months, hundreds of journalists have lost their jobs, hence increasing the job insecurity of the […]

I visited Sri Lanka from 18 to 26 July 2019 at the invitation of the Government. My visit took place at a crucial moment when the country was heading towards Presidential elections. At the time, I hoped that my visit would be an opportunity to strengthen democratic gains made by the country, ensuring that these […]

By Indika Sri Aravinda. A Photojournalist has filed a Police complaint after being obstructed from carrying out his duties outside the Colombo High Court today by a former Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Police Narcotics Bureau. Ceylon Today Photojournalist Akila Jayawardana had been outside the Colombo High Court to cover a case. Former Officer […]

Image: Shanmugam Thavaseelan. Sri Lankan police have summoned Tamil Guardian’s Mullativiu correspondent Shanmugam Thavaseelan for questioning. The journalist is being summoned with regards to an incident on June 16, where allegedly intoxicated Forest Department officials assaulted at least three Tamil men. The incident occurred after the owner and driver of a vehicle in Mullaitivu was […]

A Sri Lankan journalist has been sacked by a leading Chinese media institution after his name appeared on a news item accusing the Chinese Government over the COVID-19 pandemic, the Colombo Gazette learns. The news item, which appeared on the Daily Mirror newspaper in Sri Lanka in April, quoted a consumer rights group as saying […]

GENEVA (26 June 2020) – UN independent experts have repeatedly communicated with the Government of the People’s Republic of China their alarm regarding the repression of fundamental freedoms in China. They have denounced the repression of protest and democracy advocacy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), impunity for excessive use of force by police, the alleged use […]

Executive Summary. (INFORM) There were 72 incidents reported during this month of May, reporting more than two incidents per a day. This was a significant increase when compared with the previous months. Another significant difference was 32% of incidents reported from North and East. 14 incidents (19% of total incidents) were reported only from the Jaffna […]

In an open letter the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, the Liberation Movement calls on Government authorities to uphold detained social media activist Ramzy Razeek’s fundamental rights to freedom of speech, expression and publication, guaranteed under Article 14(1)(a) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, and to release him unconditionally. Razeek was arrested on April 09  […]

Sri Lanka: End Persecution of Journalist: Dharisha Bastians Targeted for Reports, Defense of Human Rights (New York) – The Sri Lankan authorities should stop targeting, intimidating, and harassing journalist and woman human rights defender, Dharisha Bastians, and her family. The Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Front Line […]

A. Conclusions 90. While Sri Lanka has made valuable democratic strides in the last five years, a prevailing apprehension exists among civil society, who fear there could be rollbacks on these gains in the future. Sri Lankans fear the dismantling or undermining of fragile yet important institutions that safeguard their democratic rights, and a shift […]

Sri Lankan authorities seize reporter Dharisha Bastians’ laptop in home raid/ June 18, 2020 . New York, June 18, 2020 – Sri Lankan authorities should immediately return journalist Dharisha Bastians’ computer and allow her to report without fear of official harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 9, officials from the Criminal Investigation […]

Ahimsa Wickrematunge, the daughter of late journalist and Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge, has appealed to the Police Commission to block the appointment of SSP A.R.P.J. Alwis as Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Wickrematunge releasing a statement said that Alwis was ordered to be arrested in connection to her father’s murder and he was unsuited […]

The Criminal Investigations Department seized the laptop computer belonging to former Sunday Observer Editor Dharisha Bastians last week, a statement from the journalist said. Bastians is also the Colombo reporter for the New York Times. In a statement released today (15) Bastians said the CID had arrived at her residence in Colombo twice and made […]

The Rule of Law and Democratic Governance. At the Annual National law Conference 2020 organised by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka 2020, President Gotabaya Rajapakse in the course of his address said “the time has come for all stakeholders including the judiciary, government, legal fraternity, and all other citizens concerned, to work together and […]

Image: Families of Sri Lanka’s missing thousands fear the government is aiming to curb investigations into unsolved civil war disappearances. (COLOMBO/thenewhumanitarian) Rights groups are warning of a crackdown on dissent and rising authoritarianism in Sri Lanka, raising fears for the future of long-stalled civil war reconciliation efforts. Since President Gotabaya Rajapaksa took office after November elections, […]

The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) unreservedly condemns the attack by the police on a peaceful protest in Colombo on the 9th of June 2020. This protest was in response to the killing of George Floyd, a US citizen by the police, in Minneapolis, USA. There has been an outpouring of global anger against […]

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL, the Commission) observes that a large number of persons have been arrested and vehicles confiscated for violation of curfew imposed from March, 2020 and thereafter in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Commission fully recognizes the need to restrict freedom of movement in the interests of […]