News

Amnesty Intl urges UNHRC to strengthen its oversight of Lanka

Published

4 years ago

2022/09/13

Amnesty International has urged the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), when it meets for the 51st session between September 12 and October 07, to strengthen the existing Sri Lanka accountability project of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), that was established to collect, consolidate, analyse and preserve information and evidence for future.

In a briefing paper, the rights organization also called on the UNHRC to set up an expert mechanism on Sri Lanka to monitor, report, provide recommendations on human rights concerns that are at the core of the current crisis.

The Sri Lankan authorities have fiercely clamped down on protests and demonized protesters during a period of economic crisis and hardship in the country, Amnesty International said in a new digest released today.

The briefing, Penalized for Protesting: Sri Lanka’s crackdown on protestors, details how the authorities have failed to protect peaceful protesters and resorted to excessive use of force, deploying the military to police protests and carrying out reprisals against protestors while also demonizing those who exercise their protest rights peacefully.

“Over the last few months, Sri Lanka has seen widespread protests over the worst economic crisis in the country’s post-independence history. People have the right to express discontent peacefully and the state has an obligation to facilitate this right but the Sri Lankan authorities have repeatedly and unrelentingly stifled the voice of the people,” said Yamini Mishra, Amnesty International’s South Asia Regional Director.

“The new government in Sri Lanka has continued resorting to the unlawful use of force, intimidation and harassment to subdue protestors, sending a chilling message to the people of Sri Lanka that there is no room for dissent. The right to freedom of peaceful assembly is a keystone of any rights respecting society. It must be respected and protected.”

It must be noted that there have been some incidents of violence during protests since the protest movement began in February 2022. While these protests cannot be deemed as peaceful, the response by the authorities to such protest must still comply with human rights laws and standards.

Since the protests began five months ago, the police and armed forces have routinely misused tear gas and water cannons against largely peaceful protesters. On two occasions, security forces fired live ammunition at protesters, killing at least one person in Rambukkana on 19 April.

This unlawful use of force was also witnessed in other key incidents demonstrating the government’s refusal to facilitate the right to peaceful assembly, despite their obligations under international human rights laws and standards.

Since President Ranil Wickremesinghe came into power on 21 July, over 140 protesters have been arrested, while a further 18 have been issued travel bans. Furthermore, Members of Parliament and the President have repeatedly described protesters as “terrorists”. President Wickremesinghe, meanwhile, also labelled protesters as “fascists” amid a broader pattern of demonizing the protest movement. The authorities have taken this one step further by weaponizing the draconian anti-terror law Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to arrest three protesters. Amnesty International has, in the past, documented the use of the draconian PTA by the authorities to target, and harass minorities, activists, journalists and critical voices. The PTA is in violation of international human rights law and must be repealed.

Since 2 April, the authorities have arrested some people in a manner that flouts due process. Security forces did not produce official identification or produce arrest warrants or adequately explain the reason for arrests. Certain individuals were taken away and held for several hours at undisclosed locations. On these occasions, no confirmation of arrest was issued, nor were detainees given the opportunity to inform their relatives, friends or lawyers of their whereabouts.

One of the protestors told Amnesty International: “I’m still worried that they are trying to arrest me and accuse me of things I have not committed, because they want me in jail.”

These arrests, which constituted unlawful deprivation of liberty, should immediately be stopped and the authorities must carry out arrests in keeping with their obligations under the international law and standards, including the ICCPR which prohibits arbitrary detention and protects the right to liberty and security of person. The authorities must also end their use of Emergency Regulations, which give sweeping powers to the police and the armed forces to search and make arrests without due process safeguards and have been shown to flout international human rights law.

Another protestor, who suffered repeated harassment at the hands of the authorities, told Amnesty International: “Many of us got travel bans, and surveillance and tear gas attacks and baton charged and, at times, court orders and imprisonment… The state is always protecting and only defending political power and does not stand on the side of the people.”

Amnesty International calls on the Sri Lankan authorities to drop all charges against those protesters who were participating peacefully in so called “unlawful assemblies”. All those facing such charges must be immediately released. The authorities must also hold prompt, transparent and impartial investigations into all allegations of attacks on peaceful protesters, with support from international observers.

“The relentless repression of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, movement and expression speaks to Sri Lanka’s legacy of suppressing dissent. Given the immense and historic support for the peaceful protest movement, the Sri Lankan authorities should change course and immediately end their suppression of people’s right to protest,” said Yamini Mishra.

All News Advertisement

Latest News

ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi’ departs Colombo

Published

6 hours ago

2026/09/12

Priyan

The Italian Naval Vessel ‘ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi’ departed the Port of Colombo today, 12 September 2026, after completing a replenishment stop for logistics and services.

During the ship’s stay, the Commanding Officer of ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, Captain Marco GUERRIERO, called on the Commander Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Harsha De Silva, at the Western Naval Command Headquarters.

Members of the visiting crew also toured several tourist attractions across the Colombo area during their port call.

News

Green Climate Fund (GCF) Regional Dialogue for East and South Asia will be held from 14 to 17 September 2026 at Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams Hotel, Colombo

Published

10 hours ago

2026/09/12

Priyan

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Regional Dialogue for Eastern and Southern Asia is scheduled to be held from September 14 to 17, 2026, at Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, Colombo.

The Dialogue is hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka. The Green Climate Fund is the world’s largest dedicated climate fund established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to assist developing countries in responding to the challenges of climate change.

The Green Climate Fund aims to promote a paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development
pathways by supporting developing countries in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change.

The Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka serves as the country’s National Designated Authority for the Green Climate Fund, playing a critical role in coordinating access to climate finance, nominating institutions for accreditation to the Green Climate Fund and approving funding proposals, and ensuring that activities supported by the Green Climate Fund are aligned with national development objectives.

More than 120 delegates from 10 countries are expected to participate. The participating countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, the Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, and Sri Lanka.

Participants will include representatives of National Designated Authorities of the above countries, Direct Access Entities, Accredited Entities, civil society organizations, the private sector, development partners, and technical institutions across the region.

Sri Lanka’s delegation comprises Dr. Dammika Patabendi, Minister of Environment, Anton Jayakody, Deputy Minister of Environment, K.R. Uduwawala, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, and high-level government officials.

The Dialogue will provide a platform to:

Share challenges, experiences, and lessons learned from the implementation of climate change projects and programmes.

Strengthen regional cooperation and partnerships on climate finance.

Discuss the Green Climate Fund’s evolving strategies, policies, and approaches.

Identify opportunities to accelerate climate investments across East and South Asia.

Hosting the Regional Dialogue in Colombo will provide Sri Lanka with an important opportunity to engage with senior government officials, private-sector representatives, development partners, technical experts, and international climate finance institutions.

The event is expected to support Sri Lanka’s efforts to improve access to climate finance and international grants, showcase national climate action initiatives and achievements, and strengthen the country’s engagement with the global climate community.

The Dialogue will also offer a strategic platform for Sri Lankan institutions that have applied for direct accreditation to present their project concepts and engage directly with representatives of the Green Climate Fund. These engagements are expected to support the accreditation process and contribute to the expansion of Sri Lanka’s network of Direct Access Entities through stronger regional partnerships and increased cooperation on climate finance, the Regional Dialogue will
contribute to positioning Sri Lanka as a credible and reliable partner for climate investment.

Projects that Sri Lanka has received funding from this fund are:
• The main projects that Sri Lanka has received support from the Green Climate Fund at present include the Wevu Gam Pubuduwa Project (52.1 USD Million) and the GCF Knuckles Project (49 USD Million).

7.5 USD Million has been allocated from GCF for 5 National Designated Authority Readiness Projects (NDA Readiness Projects) and for the National Adaptation Plan Readiness Project (NAP Readiness Project).

Approval has also been obtained for 3 regional projects. (Cooling Facility Programme, Global Fund for Coral Reef Investment Window, PEEB COOL Programme)

Sri Lanka has also identified 5 project concepts as priority projects for the Green Climate Fund period 2024-2027 and has taken steps to submit those project concepts (Concept Notes) for
approval by the Green Climate Fund.

The “Climate-resilient Fisheries in Sri Lanka” project concept (USD 107.5 million) submitted by DFCC Bank has already received approval.

News

Prof. Pieris says Buddha Dhamma recognised as source of law under Constitution

Published

12 hours ago

2026/09/12

Thilina Walpola

G.L. Peiris

Former Minister and People’s Joint Opposition Convener Prof. G.L. Peiris has challenged the assertion that the Supreme Court’s determination on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution would be based solely on law and not Buddhist teachings, arguing that such a position is inconsistent with Article 9 of the Constitution and established judicial precedent.

In a special statement, titled “Buddhist Doctrine as a Source of Law in Sri Lanka”, Prof. Peiris has said the issue had arisen during the 22nd Amendment determination proceedings when Ven. Balangoda Kassapa referred to the Buddha Dhamma in his submissions.

According to Prof. Peiris, the Chief Justice responded that the determination would be made on the basis of the law and not Buddhist teachings.

Describing this as a “cavalier dismissal” of the Buddha Dhamma. Prof. Peiris has said it is contrary to Article 9, which gives Buddhism the foremost place and requires the State to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana.

Full text of the statement: In the 22nd Amendment determination proceedings, Venerable Balangoda Kassapa, in his submissions, made reference to the Buddha Dhamma. His Lordship the Chief Justice, in reply, made the strong assertion that the determination would be made on the basis of the law and not Buddhist teachings. This cavalier dismissal of the Buddha Dhamma is totally inconsistent with Article 9 of the Constitution and its authoritative interpretation in judicial decisions.

I. Authoritative Sri Lankan Judicial Authority A few examples may be cited.

In the Antiquities Amendment Bill, the Supreme Court, in its determination, observed: “The expression Buddha Sasana is wider than Buddhism and includes the entire establishment, together with objects and places of religious practices and worship of Buddhists”.

In Re the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution and the Provincial Councils Bill, 1987 2 Sri Lanka LR 312, Wanasundera J, referring to the term Buddha Sasana, said that it was “a compendious term encompassing all ancient, historic and sacred objects and places which have from ancient times been associated with the religious practices and worship of Sinhala Buddhists”.

It is clear that the Buddha Sasana is not confined to matters of ritual or practice, but includes the substance of Buddhist teachings. This is borne out clearly in other judgments of the Supreme Court.

An explicit example is the determination of the Supreme Court in the Ayurveda Amendment Bill, SCSD, numbers 22-35/2023, where the Court declared: “We hold that Buddha Sasana in Article 9 of the Constitution includes the dhamma, principles and teachings of Buddhism, including in particular recognized and undisputed codifications of the teachings of Lord Buddha”.

There are several other passages in the judgment which offer strong authority on the point.

The Court declared: “We determine that the word Buddha Sasana in Article 9 is a compendious term and includes the entire establishment of Buddhism as defined above. We conclude that the Tripitaka, consisting of the Vinaya Pitaka, the Sutta Pitaka and the Abhidhamma Pitaka, falls within the word Buddha Sasana. Hence the State has a duty inter alia to protect and foster the Tripitaka”.

The Court was uncompromising in its declaration that “While retaining the word Buddhism to denote the religion to which foremost place has been accorded in the Republic, the word Buddha Sasana was used to impose a duty on the State to protect and foster the entire establishment of Buddhism”.

The Court’s approach is very clear from the following passage: “We must proceed to interpret Article 9 of the Constitution on the basis that this change was intentional on the part of the legislature. It was meant to cover an area wider than Buddhism”.

II. International Judicial Authority

There is valuable material in the jurisprudence of the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

Judge C. G. Weeramantry, in his dissenting opinion in the ICJ’s 1996 advisory opinion on the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons, said that Buddhism could provide an important humanitarian perspective when considering the legality of nuclear weapons. The judge cited as his source the work by Walpola Rahula, entitled What the Buddha Taught, 1959.

Similarly, Judge Weeramantry, in his separate opinion in the maritime delimitation in the area between Greenland and Jan Mayen case, 1993, commented on the international legal concept of equity. In this connection, he referred to “the elaborately researched concept of fairness and justice in Buddhism”.