Right to association

INFORM– June 2014 will be remembered in Sri Lanka for the communal violence in the towns of Aluthgama and Beruwala in Southern Sri Lanka, that resulted in 4 persons (three Muslims and one Tamil) being killed, more than 80 injured and widespread damage to property, mainly of Muslims. The widely held belief, including by the […]

[ Co Convener of the Lawyers Collective J.C. Weliamuna talking to the mob; Photo by Melani Manel] LAWYERS COLLECTIVE PRESS RELEASE Responding to a statement made by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on 5th August 2014 on the   incident at CSR, the Lawyers’ Collective cautions the public not to be misled by the inaccurate […]

SLB — [ Monks led mob in action; Photo: Melani Manel] The External Affairs Ministry (MEA) of the Government of Sri Lanka today (05 Aug 2014) issued a statement indirectly justifying the monks led mob which invaded Centre for Society and Religion (CSR) in Colombo and disrupted a meeting of the families of the disappeared. […]

[Joint statement following the disruption of a civil society meeting] The embassies of France, Germany, Great Britain and Switzerland strongly condemn the disruption by an organized group including monks of the get-together on the theme “Sharing and listening session with families of the disappeared” organized by Families of the Disappeared in the Centre for Society […]

[Threatening Fr. Sathyavail] Female journalists cum photographer have captured the monks led violent mob, who invaded the Centre for Society and Religion to disrupt a gathering  for  “Sharing and listening session with families of the disappeared” organized by Families of the Disappeared. Here are some of the photos which shows the violent mood of the […]

[Monk invaders of violent Buddhism] Lawyers collective/Press release Lawyers witnessed an event of a mob disrupting a peaceful meeting to discuss issues of disappeared families, held at Center for Society & Religion, located in the premises of a Catholic Church in Colombo 10, on 4th August 2014. This meeting was organised by Families of The […]

[Monks used abusive language; photo: Daily FT] Buddhist monks led violent mob entered by force the Centre for Society for Religion in Colombo today ( 04 Aug 2014) and disrupted a peaceful gathering of families of disappeared persons. Police as usual became mere onlookers, while monks and mob haul abusive language and threatened organisers. In […]

By Darisha Bastians — The young Parliamentarian from Hambantota was trying to board a plane bound for Geneva on 11 September 1990, when he was intercepted by an Assistant Superintendent of Police by the name of Kudahetti. The senior Policeman wanted to search the MP’s baggage for fabricated documents likely to be “prejudicial to the […]

[Relevance of Freedom of Association in 1992 and today; Ratawasi Peramuna and its players ] By Lakshan Dias, — Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), are the popular punching bag of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), when its actions are challenged by any individual and/or organization. Name-calling, brandishing circulars to warn NGOs and now a draconian […]

In a notice issued on July 1, the government of Sri Lanka announced that nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) would no longer be allowed to hold press conferences, conduct trainings for journalists, or issue press releases. The move has been sharply criticized by both leading activists within Sri Lanka and experienced international analysts. The U.S. State Department […]

The Finance and Planning Ministry has informed all Non-Governmental Organisations that they should receive prior approval from the Ministry prior to obtaining foreign funds. The notice comes hot on the heels of the Government strongly criticising the foreign aid programme carried out by USAID.  It had planned to provide US$190 million dollars for a programme […]

The External Affairs Ministry has stated that the ban on NGOs imposed by the government is nothing but a reiteration of existing rules and regulations pertaining to non-governmental organizations. Explaining the legal background pertaining to NGOs, the External Affairs Ministry said,” all NGOs registered with the NGO Secretariat are liable to submit annual Action Plans […]

 (Reuters) – Sri Lanka has banned activist groups and NGOs from holding press conferences and issuing press releases, a Defence Ministry circular says, raising new concerns over freedom of expression in the island nation. The circular, dated July 1, also outlaws NGOs and civil society organizations holding workshops for journalists. “This is a continuation of […]

Farhan Haq Farhan Haq The United Nations (UN) says it will study a warning issued by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) not to go beyond their mandate. Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon, said that the UN will need to evaluate the warning and then make a […]

A key focus of the human rights discourse in Sri Lanka during this period was the UN Human Rights Council sessions in March 2014, where a resolution on Sri Lanka was passed, condemning the ongoing human rights violations, impunity for past violations and asking the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to undertake an international […]

Editorial – Ceylon Today The government is mooting new laws to monitor funds received by local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). At his regular breakfast meeting with newspaper editors on Thursday, responding to a question by a newspaper editor, the President revealed plans to formulate the new law. He said under the laws that existed before 1977, […]

Army Commander Sarath Fonseka says he will lodge a complaint with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) of Sri Lanka over the incident in Balapitiya yesterday.The police disrupted a public meeting at Balapitiya yesterday organised by the Democratic Party led by Fonseka saying permission had not been obtained to use loudspeakers.A truck used for the public […]

TamilNet The intelligence operatives of the occupying Sri Lankan military have threatened Tamil Catholic priests in Mannaar and Jaffna, who have been active in exposing the genocide of Eezham Tamils by the Sri Lankan State. The threats against the priests in escalated following the visit by UN Human Rights Commissioner for Human Rights and have […]

BASL Only Immigration Controller can grant visas   President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), Upul Jayasuriya, yesterday blamed the government for not granting visas to the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) delegation.Jayasuriya said in a statement: “The BASL, in collaboration with the International Bar Association (IBL), of which the BASL […]

Civil society  convention 7th November 2013 – Colombo, New Town Hall We the undersigned civil society organizations who made joint submissions to the Universal Periodic Review on Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council in November 2012, will not be participating in the November 2013 Peoples’ Forum at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting […]

The University Grants Commission says it will take stern action against four Sri Lankan university lecturers who are reported to have participated in an alleged pro-Eelam conference in London organized by the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE).The Chairperson of the University Grants Commission, Prof. Kshanika Hirimburegama said that an extensive investigations will be carried […]

 As part of its post-war peace building initiatives the National Peace Council (NPC) has been conducting an educational programme on the LRRC report in different parts of the country, including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Colombo, Matara, Galle, Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mannar, Puttalam, Ampara, Kurunegala, Batticaloa and Trincomalee. These LLRC workshops have been very popular with community leaders and […]

A seminar on national reconciliation organiseed by a non-governmental organisation in Batticaloa was disrupted by a group led by a Buddhist monk in the area on the grounds that an invitation had not been extended to him for the event, Police said.They said two participants of the seminar titled ‘National Reconciliation through the Lessons Learnt […]

The Convenor of the Inter University Student’s Federation (IUSF) Sanjeewa Bandara has been granted bail and has also been banned from entering the premises of any Universities in the country by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today.The Court ordered Sanjeewa Bandara to be banned from all Universities based on the statement given by the Vice […]

The Federation of University Teachers Association President Dr Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri today called for the immediate release of  student union leader  Sanjeeva bandara and Rev. Kimbullewwe Chandananda thero who are now in custody.The organization at a press conference called the government to end what they called a ‘ current terror  campaign’  against the students   adding […]

Samaraveera (UNP) challenges Sharma H.E. Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary-General, The Commonwealth,  Your Excellency,I am writing to you with reference to a news item published in the Sri Lanka Daily Mirror of 29th June 2013. The story, captioned ‘Commonwealth wants to make practical difference in Sri Lanka’ quotes a letter you have reportedly sent to an unspecified […]

Germany has strongly protested over the arrest of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation’s Sri Lanka branch chief, Nora Langanbacher.  The German-Government-funded NGO has been functioning in Sri Lanka for more than 30 years. A statement of protest from the Foreign Office in Berlin follows a meeting between German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and External Affairs Minister […]

The government has appointed a special Board of Intellectuals to probe charges and allegations being made against NGOs and their operations. Subsequent to this it has been made compulsory for all NGOs operating in the country to register themselves with the Office for the Registration of Non Governmental Organizations.This step is being taken to ‘thwart […]

 Police today prevented a pro-government mob setting upon Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as he toured the Balapitiya area visiting families whose members had been killed in Saturday’s stormy weather conditions at sea. So far over 50 persons have killed with about 22 of them from Balapitiya.Mr Wickremesinghe who visited some of the families had been advised […]

Threats to university students continue, said the Inter-University Students Federation (IUSF) Convener, Sanjeewa Bandara. According to the student leader, more students and their parents have been threatened by ‘security personnel’ demanding they stop all union activities within the universities.Last Thursday (16), persons claiming to be from the CID, had visited the homes of Ruhuna University IUSF […]