Human Rights

Image: Sri Lanka’s President-elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa waves at his supporters as he leaves, after the presidential swearing-in ceremony in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka November 18, 2019. Photo: Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte. As was widely predicted, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), decisively won Sri Lanka’s presidential election on November 16. His opponent, Sajith Premadasa, of the United National Party […]

The Universal Children’s Day, celebrated on the 20th of November every year, is dedicated to recognizing the joys and innocence of childhood, and improving and protecting the lives of children. It calls for International corporation to strengthen and acknowledge the rights of every child in the world. The significance of the Universal Children’s Day of […]

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka constitution has to be changed and a 19th amendment should be abolished, Basil Rajapaksa, brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in a television interview. “It is my view that the 19th amendment should be completely abolished,” Rajapaksa, who formed the Sri Lanka Podujana Party of the new President said in an […]

Sri Lanka’s newly elected president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government must demonstrate that they will uphold human rights and rule of law, and ensure that Sri Lanka sustains its international obligations and commitments to justice and accountability, said the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) today. Gotabaya Rajapaksa faces credible allegations of involvement in war crimes […]

(By Jon Lee Anderson ,January 9, 2011/ NewYoker) Gotabaya Rajapaksa received James Clad and me in a sitting room of hishouse, a British-era villa in a large garden compound in Colombo. The room was impersonally furnished with fifties-style blue settees and abstract geometric paintings, all government-issue. The Defense Minister was casually attired in a T-shirt, […]

With Gotabaya Rajapaska claiming victory in the presidential elections, how does one understand the Northern vote? The Northern electoral districts of Jaffna and Vanni with just around 5% of the population of the country are marginal in determining electoral outcome except in very close electoral races. Nevertheless, for a country that has gone through a […]

Image: Gotabaya Rajapaksa is one of the nine Rajapaksa brothers who have dominated Sri Lankan politics. Photograph: Eranga Jayawardena/AP. Even his own family nickname him “The Terminator”. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the 70-year-old retired lieutenant colonel who will be Sri Lanka’s next president, has built his reputation on being efficient and ruthless, whether that was in his role in […]

In the wake of his younger brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s victory in the presidential election 2019, former strong man Mahinda Rajapaksa issued a statement on their immediate plans. They include (between the lines  reforming or removing the 19th amendment,  action to deliver justice for the persons persecuted for  corruption  and human rights violations since 2015 and steps to stop Tamil […]

Image: Gotabaya Rajapaksa released an interview with Iraj on 14th November. Tough all campaigning for the 2019 presidential election came to an end at midnight on Wednesday (13), election propaganda activities continued widely over social media during the so-called “silent period” in direct violation of election laws. Social media such as Facebook and Twitter were […]

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who spearheaded the brutal crushing of Tamil Tigers a decade ago, stormed to power Sunday but promised to be a president for all Sri Lanka’s races and religions after a divisive election. Seven months after Islamist extremist attacks that killed 269 people, Rajapaksa was elected on Saturday on the back of a nationalist […]

5th November, 2019. Statement Condemning Threats, Harassment and Reprisals against Human Rights Lawyer and Jaffna University Senior Lecturer, Kumaravadivel Guruparanly. We, the undersigned individuals strong condemn the recent threats, harassment and unfair treatment against human rights defender, Kumaravadivel Guruparan, by the Sri Lankan military and University Authorities. Guruparan, is a prominent human rights lawyer and […]

Editorial, Daily FT. The Election Commission is one of the key institutions central to Sri Lanka’s democracy. Sri Lankans have stayed true to their power to exercise their franchise for over 70 years and for this reason the country is categorised as one of Asia’s oldest democracies. Therefore efforts to discredit the Election Commission, especially […]

Voters still reeling from the devastating Easter Sunday attacks must choose between two powerful political families. Hannah Ellis-Petersen South Asia correspondent./theguardian. What is happening? Sri Lanka goes to the polls on Saturday for a presidential election that will be a decisive moment for its future. The country is still reeling from the Easter Sunday bombings […]

In Sri Lanka, a Tamil MP has requested the Election Commission and the Inspector General of police to investigate into a news report published by three newspapers and also sent a defamation notice to the newspapers. Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesperson MA Sumanthiran was quoted saying that Tamil people should vote for Sajith Premadasa in […]

Image: Inmates on the roof of Welikada prison in Sri Lanka display a banner calling for a pardon similar to that granted the murderer of a Swedish teen at the weekend AFP/Lakruwan WANNIARACHCHI. COLOMBO: Hundreds of inmates at Sri Lanka’s biggest high-security prison staged a second day of protests on Tuesday (Nov 12), demanding their freedom […]

“At times media freedom is used to forget what is necessary for the country, what should be done for society… Similarly if we do not get the support of the courts we cannot do this. Every institution must realise this…. ‘Human Rights’, ‘Media Freedom’, various ideas such as these are given to us by The […]

As Sri Lankans head to the polls to elect a new president on 16 November, Gotabaya Rajapaksa stands as the widely acknowledged front runner. As defence secretary during his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa’s decade-long presidency ending in 2015, he was a leading figure in a government that many minority Tamils and Muslims, as well as opposition […]

 The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) urges Tamil people from the North-East and throughout Sri Lanka to freely exercise their franchise at the November 16 Presidential Election, giving careful consideration to the political formations and agendas of the major contenders.  After playing a decisive role in the political change of 2015 and experiencing disappointments on the […]

Image: Minister Rajitha Senaratne with the ‘White Van’ drivers at the press conference yesterday.Picture by Kelum Liyanage. The Government will begin investigations into the rest of the murders and abductions committed during the Rajapaksa era after its affirmation in power on November 17, Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said yesterday. The […]

Image: “Also, there is no meaning when politicians and the top-level officials of related to the fisheries sector are using their power and misusing the law. If so, what is the use of our Fisheries Assembly, Fisheries Committee ?” they added.. “We do not know to do any other jobs. We are the traditional fishers and Fishers who are engaging […]

Who is winning? This seems to be the question many people these days are keen to find an answer to. Whenever this question is put to me, my usual answer is one that disappoints the interlocutor: “It is difficult to say. But I can tell you a little bit about what I speculate as the […]

Sandya Ekneligoda, wife of the missing journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda, yesterday lodged a complaint with the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) with regard to a statement made by SLPP Presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa on an election campaign stage in Anuradhapura. “Gotabaya Rajapaksa on October 10 said that he will release intelligence […]

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on Sri Lanka’s presidential candidates to give firm pledges to respect press freedom after a media owner threatened and then fired a radio news editor for refusing to broadcast fabricated and biased information, in an incident that speaks volumes about intimidation of journalists in Sri Lanka. “He shouted at me, […]

In Brief What is MCC? It is an independent development organization, like USAID, funded by US Taxpayer dollars. Is MCC a grant or a loan? A Grant. Not a loan. Is it connected to SOFA and ACSA military agreements? No connection to ACSA or SOFA. No military connection what-so-ever. MCC has signed 37 grant agreements up to date in 30 different […]

Former MP Sajin Vaas Gunawardena today said he had lodged a police complaint saying that Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa had told another SLPP MP that Sajin and his family will be killed if he continued to support the New Democratic Front (NDF) presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa in the presidential election. Speaking at a media briefing, […]

Many of us were hoping for a new dawn in 2015. The hope for a ‘Yahapalanaya’ Government now leaves ashes in the mouth of many people. It is true they brought us back our freedom and strengthened independent institutions but they failed fundamentally in convincing people that democracy and freedom should be the pillars of […]

Image: Peter Ilancheliyan. Peter Ilancheliyan, a prominent member of ITAK’s youth wing and son of the late former deputy chair of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) Anthony Jeyanathan, is the fourth Mullaitivu-based individual to be summoned for questioning in recent weeks. Journalist Shanmugam Thavaseelan, former NPC member A Puvaneswaran, and vice chair of the Puthukudiyiruppu […]

We are presently witnessing a whirlwind of activities in the lead up to Presidential Elections due on 16th November with an unprecedented number of candidates and election hype. It was in this midst that we marked the six months anniversary of the devastating Easter Sunday attacks which claimed over 250 lives, injured many more and resulted […]

Image; Ruling party presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa presenting his manifesto to Chief monk of the Malwatta chapter. (Image from SP tweeter)  R.K. Rudrakrishnan. Sinhala majoritarianism dominates the campaign for the November presidential election. THERE were quite a few visitors at the world’s emptiest airport, the Chinese-built Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, just over 200 kilometres south […]

Image: Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa discusses his manifesto with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa at its launch on Friday – Pic by Lahiru Harshana. A ‘Charter of Election Promises Honesty’ is necessary for all Given targets and promises are contradictory Free fertiliser would increase expenditure by Rs. 45 b VAT reduction from […]