News
Focus on human rights, media freedom, etc.
US report on SL:
The US dealt with human rights and related issues in its Sri Lanka country report issued this week. Under the section headlined ‘Freedom of the Press,” the State Department said: “The constitution provided for freedom of expression, including for members of the press and other media, but the government sometimes restricted this right. In its report on the human rights situation in the country, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) observed a persistent trend of surveillance, intimidation, and harassment of journalists and civil society actors, especially those working on enforced disappearances, land seizures, environmental issues, and with former combatants in the north and east.
Authorities restricted hate speech, including insults to religion or religious beliefs, through a police ordinance and the penal code. The government requested media stations and outlets refrain from featuring hate speech in their news items and segments. Restrictions on hate speech were applied selectively, with hate speech against Muslims more tolerated than against other groups. There were also reports authorities attempted to intimidate individuals who criticised the government, including through public statements, questioning by security officials, official visits at their homes, and arrests. Civil society accused the government of using the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act, which Sri Lanka adopted into domestic law, and penal code provisions against hate speech to curtail freedom of expression. In its August 22 report to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the OHCHR also reported the government misused the ICCPR Act to stifle freedom of expression.
On June 19, the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court dismissed comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya’s charges of insulting Buddhism during an April performance, a recording of which was posted to the SLVlog YouTube channel on May 23. Police accused her of violating the ICCPR Act, which criminalised advocacy of “national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence” as well as the Computer Crime Act and hate speech provisions of the penal code. On July 6, the Colombo Fort magistrate granted bail to Edirisooriya. The magistrate discharged her and administrator of SLVlog Bruno Divakara, based on the attorney general’s opinion that hate speech charges could not be pursued in the case.”
The report also addressed the issues relating to physical attacks and imprisonment. The relevant section: “There were reports of harassment and intimidation of journalists covering sensitive topics. Some journalists in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, including citizen journalists, reported harassment, threats, intimidation, and interference from members of state security services, especially when reporting on topics related to the civil war or its aftermath, including missing persons. Tamil journalists reported military officers requested copies of photographs, lists of attendees at events, and names of sources for articles. They also reported the military directly requested journalists to refrain from reporting on sensitive events, such as Tamil war commemorations or land occupation protests, as well as from posting anything related to former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leaders, and that they feared repercussions if they did not cooperate.
Reporters alleged authorities, sometimes in government vehicles, surveilled journalists, especially those covering protests.
On February 21, Tamil press reported the Army threatened to confiscate and destroy the telephones of three Tamil journalists, Prabhakaran Dilaksan, Sundarampillai Rajeskaran, and Chinnaiya Yogeswaran, as they attempted to cover a gathering of civilians after the military allowed them to visit temples within the “High-Security Zone” in Jaffna. On June 13, a group of unidentified individuals vandalised the house of Tamil freelance journalist Thambithurai Pradeepan in Jaffna, set his motorbike on fire, and damaged his three-wheeler. The damage caused to his property was reported to be more than one million Sri Lankan rupees ($3,420). Jaffna police deployed four teams, but there was no progress in the investigation. In June, Pradeepan lodged a complaint to the HRCSL regarding the lack of progress in the investigation.”
The warning mentioned in the flood warning message No. 01 issued for the Aththanagalu Oya basin on 22.05.2026 at about 5.30 am will be extended for the next 48 hours.
It is requested that residents in the area and vehicle drivers running through those areas pay high attention in this regard by the . Disaster Management Authorities are requested to take adequate precautions in this regard
Heavy and persistent rains lashed several parts of Sri Lanka yesterday, triggering flooding, transport disruptions, flight diversions and multiple disaster warnings as water levels rose in key river basins and low-lying urban areas.
The worst affected situation was reported along the Colombo–Avissawella main road, where floodwaters submerged sections of the highway, bringing vehicular movement to a standstill at several points, including the Puwakpitiya-Thummodara junction, the Seethawaka Botanical Garden area, and parts of Yatiyantota. Traffic was also severely disrupted along the Delgoda–Belumahara road at Udupila, and the Gampaha–Miriswatta road, due to inundation, while movement on the Divulapitiya–Mirigama route was restricted for light vehicles, following flooding at Ullalapitiya.
In the Kelani River Valley, rising water levels, following heavy rainfall in the catchment areas, prompted warnings of possible minor flooding within the next 48 hours. The Irrigation Department cautioned that areas, including Hanwella, Seethawaka, Dompe, Padukka, Homagama, Biyagama, Kaduwela, Kolonnawa, Kelaniya, Wattala and Colombo, could be affected. The flood alert, issued at 10:00 am yesterday, remains valid for 48 hours, until Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) issued landslide warnings covering six districts—Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura. Red alerts were issued for Dehiowita, in Kegalle and Ratnapura, while amber and yellow warnings were declared for several vulnerable divisions, including Seethawaka, Padukka, Attanagalla, Ingiriya, Bulathsinhala, Ruwanwella, Kuruwita, Ayagama, Pelmadulla, Yatiyantota, Ambagamuwa, Eheliyagoda, Nivithigala and Kalawana.
In the civil aviation sector, poor visibility and heavy rain around Katunayake forced the diversion of around six inbound flights, bound for Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, as a precautionary measure.
The Department of Meteorology reported that the highest rainfall recorded was 336.5 mm in Pambegama, Kegalle, between Thursday morning and Friday morning, underscoring the intensity of the ongoing weather system.
Authorities have urged the public, in affected districts, to remain vigilant, avoid flood-prone roads, and adhere to disaster warnings as adverse weather conditions are expected to persist.
by Norman Palihawadane and Chaminda Silva
Twenty-one alleged underworld operatives, deported from Dubai, were taken into custody by the CID, upon their arrival at the Mattala International Airport yesterday, Police said.
The suspects, including alleged organised crime figures, known as “Mahawatta Chamara” and “Kudu Duminda,” were arrested within the airport premises, shortly after disembarking from several inbound flights that had been diverted to Mattala, due to adverse weather conditions affecting operations at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), in Katunayake.
Police said the group had been residing overseas for an extended period while allegedly continuing to direct organised criminal activities and narcotics trafficking operations in Sri Lanka.
According to law enforcement authorities, the deportees were among a group of wanted criminal suspects linked to underworld networks and ongoing investigations into organised crime activities.
Senior Police officials stated that “Mahawatta Chamara” is expected to be handed over to the Central Crime Investigation Bureau for further investigations, while inquiries into the activities and alleged criminal links of the remaining suspects are also continuing.
Police sources said the deportees arrived in the country during the early hours of yesterday after flights originating from Dubai were rerouted to the Mattala Airport.
Authorities have not yet disclosed the specific charges pending against the suspects, but investigators believe several of them maintained operational ties to criminal syndicates involved in drug trafficking and other organised crimes, despite being based overseas.
The CID has commenced extensive investigations to determine the extent of the suspects’ alleged involvement in underworld activities and their connections to ongoing criminal operations in the country.
by Norman Palihawadane
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