Human Rights

In a letter to Mr. Jayasiri Tennakoon. Commissioner General of Prisons Dr. Deepika Udagama, Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission has recommended releasing selected prisoners in the face of the current health epidemic. The letter follows: Mr. Jayasiri Tennakoon, Commissioner General of Prisons, Covid-l9 Epidemic – Recommendations of HRCSL Regarding Protection of Prisoners I write pursuant […]

The ICJ today condemned the Presidential pardon granted to murder convict Sunil Ratnayake, Former Staff Sergeant of the Sri Lankan Army. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa pardoned Former Staff Sergeant Sunil Ratnayake who was convicted in 2015 for the murder of eight Tamil civilians, including three children, in Mirusuvil in December 2000. The conviction and […]

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Spokesperson and former MP, M.A.Sumanthiran, has reacted sharply to the Presidential pardon given on Thursday to Sri Lankan Army Sergeant R M Sunil Rathnayake, who was sentenced to death for killing in cold blood, eight Tamil captives including a child at Mirusuvil in Tamil-speaking North Lanka in 2000. Sumanthiran pointed out […]

Image: Tetrasoft employees (India) holding placards to create awareness for COVID-19 .(siasat.com) Sri Lankans have lived through countless crises. Civil wars, insurgencies, constitutional coups droughts and famines are but a few examples. Yet, even for the most seasoned among us, these are testing times. The entire nation – now in lockdown – is anxious. We […]

Image courtesy of www.reddeeradvocate.com. The corona pandemic is spreading like wildfire. Its economic consequences are severe, increasing and unpredictable. It is worse than a recession. It is a global economic shutdown and will impact severely on the Sri Lankan economy. It has spread to more than 170 countries with over 270,000 persons tested positive. Its […]

Image: Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva (c)Ishara S. Kodikara/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today appointed Army Commander Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva to spearhead the National Operation Center for Prevention of COVID- 19 outbreak. Militarisation of civilian affairs has been on the increase under Gotabaya presidency. Fight against coronavirus outbreak is has provided an […]

By Karl Bode. The use of location data to help track and manage the pandemic should come with meaningful safeguards and expiration dates, privacy experts say. In the days and months to come, unprecedented global solidarity will emerge as the world battles the COVID-19 outbreak. But experts also worry the surging pandemic will provide cover for […]

WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 16 March 2020 16 March 2020 Good afternoon everyone. In the past week, we have seen a rapid escalation of cases of COVID-19. More cases and deaths have now been reported in the rest of the world than in China. We have also seen […]

Image: Pro-Democracy protestors took to street daily against the constitutional coup staged by president Sirisena in October 2018. A short paper published by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) on key developments in the first 100 days of the present Government, as well as their implications for governance, the rule of law, reconciliation, human rights and […]

Ahmed Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief of the United Nations Human Rights Council, presented a report1 to the Human Rights Council on 24 February, based on his visit to Sri Lanka at the invitation of the Government of Sri Lanka from 15 to 26 August 2019. The report was a detailed […]

AG, COI clash over ex-Magistrate Thilina Gamage’s illegal elephant possession case AG claims all documents relating to case have been taken by COI Commission says documents were given by CID, says relevant documents will be handed back today Gamage filed case before Commission alleging political victimisation A senior Attorney General’s  Department official told members of […]

Image: In April Kurunegala police arrested Shakthika Sathkumara, a 33-year-old novelist, under the ICCPR law. – Report. A. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, INCLUDING FOR THE PRESS The constitution provides for freedom of expression, including for the press, and the government generally respected this right. An independent press, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system […]

A federal appeals court in San Francisco has opened the door to a future lawsuit against the former defense secretary of Sri Lanka — now the nation’s president — for allegedly ordering the murder of a prominent journalist. Lasantha Wickretamunge, founder and editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper, was stabbed and beaten to death by […]

It is evident that the Podu Peramuna Government led by Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the new President, wants desperately to withdraw the cases filed during the Yahapalana regime against corruption and criminal acts alleged to have committed during the previous regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa. However, in the absence of the support of the Judiciary, it appears clearly […]

Last week, Sri Lanka’s new government formally withdrew its support for UN Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution 30/1 – thereby pulling the plug on its long-standing pledge to establish a domestic accountability mechanism capable of investigating atrocity crimes committed during the country’s civil war. Although the resolution does not expire until March next year, and the Office […]

In its statement to UN Human Rights Council on the High Commissioner’s Report,  Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka emphasises that the weakening of the relevant provisions of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in strengthening independent institutions will seriously hamper checks and balances and protection of people’s rights under the Rule of Law. Sri […]

The director of Vavuniya-based Thinappuyal newspaper, Sakthivelpillai Prakash and his wife alongside another editor, were summoned by Sri Lanka’s Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) on Monday, following the paper’s coverage of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The latest incident of journalist intimidation comes as the 43rd session of the Council is currently underway, where Sri […]

Image:Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, center attends an event to mark the anniversary of country’s independence from British colonial rule in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020.  © 2020 AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena. Rights Activists, Journalists Facing Surveillance, Threats. (New York) – Sri Lankan security agencies are stepping up surveillance, harassment, and threats against human rights activists and […]

Image: Families of the disappeared writing names of the missing loved ones on a memorial wall. Sri Lanka does not yet have a figure regarding the total number of persons that have disappeared, says OMP. Issuing a statement on the Second Anniversary of the establishment of the Office on Missing Persons it says that “The […]

NINTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS ISSUES DECISION IN CASE AGAINST GOTABAYA RAJAPAKSA. San Francisco, March 2, 2020: Last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted Ahimsa Wickrematunge’s request to vacate the lower court’s ruling that Gotabaya Rajapaksa is entitled to common law foreign official immunity for acts committed while he was Secretary of Defense of Sri […]

Under the government programme for placement of 100,000 unemployed graduates and diploma holders, the interviewing process is underway at Divisional Secretariats by senior government officials with the participation of military officers on the interview board. This raised concerns among those who came for the interview at a DS office in the North this week. It […]

From the Report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief on Sri Lanka. The culture of impunity in Sri Lanka has been repeatedly pointed out as one of the main reasons for which religious extremism and hate speech thrive in the country, undermining the rule of law and human rights. Many complained […]

Former Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has said that the decision to co-sponsor Geneva Resolution 30/1 was taken by the yahapalana government under the leadership of then President Maithripala Sirisena. Samaraweera, in a statement issued on withdrawal from Resolution 30/1 and subsequent resolutions extending its mandate in the UN Human Rights Council, has said: “At a […]

Conclusions and recommendations: 86. Ten years after the end of the lengthy ethnic conflict, there has been no closure on a number of issues arising from that conflict and which the Government had pledged to address at the UN Human Rights Council. While there have been some elementary steps taken, lack of accountability and impunity […]

Hiruni, a fisherman’s wife, who has to manage her household (of five people) with an income of about 2.5 euros (= 500 Sri Lankan rupees) per day, is heavily indebted. In order to increase her household income, she borrowed 50,000 rupees (250 euros) from the LOLC bank, which specialises in micro-credit (https://www.lolc.com/lolc-micro-credit). With this money […]

Making Joint Oral Statement at the ongoing 43rd session of the Human Rights Council today (28 February 2020.) eight International Human Rights organisations urged the Human Rights Council to hold Sri Lanka accountable to its obligations under international law. Given this week’s announcement that the new Government will not continue to engage with the clear framework […]

1 January 2, 2020, Batticaloa: Sri Lankan police in plain clothing has entered the house of the Batticaloa based journalist: S. Nilanthan, purportedly to arrest him, and threatened his family when it was discovered he was not at home. (https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/sri-lankan-police-threaten-family-tamil-guardian-correspondent-arrest-warrant) 2 January 5, 2020, Kilinochchi: Foreign Journalist was denied access to Iranaitheevu island by the […]

Image: Thierry Mathou in Colombo. A senior visiting French diplomat said yesterday said that despite Sri Lanka’s withdrawal from co-sponsorship of the UNHCR Resolution on Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka, the resolution remains legally binding. “Sri Lanka’s decision to withdraw from co-sponsorship of the UNHCR resolution doesn’t mean the resolution has […]

Delivering the joint statement of the Core Group on Sri Lanka, International Ambassador for Human Rights of the United Kindom, Rita French told the ongoing 43rd session of the HRC that   “we are deeply disappointed and concerned that the government has changed its approach to the resolution. We remain profoundly committed to resolution 30/1 and […]

Image:  ” Do not make Geneva promises disappear!” a placard at the “Missing Lovers Day” held by the Families of the Disappeared on 14.02.2020 in Colombo. Following Sri Lanka’s decision to withdraw from its commitments to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this week, Amnesty International calls on the Council to establish an international […]