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Violence: HRW urges world to pressure Sri Lanka to respect fundamental freedoms
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged foreign governments and international institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, which are offering assistance, to address Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, to insist that the government respect fundamental freedoms.
The following is the text of a New York date-lined statement issued by HRW on May 10: Clashes broke out in Sri Lanka on May 9, 2022 after government supporters attacked peaceful anti-government protest sites in Colombo, the capital, and elsewhere. The government should uphold the right to peaceful protest, ensure that the security force response to public disorder is proportionate and rejects excessive force, and promptly investigate and appropriately prosecute acts of violence.
Several hundred people, identifying themselves as supporters of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, arrived by bus, in Colombo, on May 9, and advanced to the Galle Face Green, where protesters, calling for the resignation of the government, have been peacefully camped for several weeks. Witness accounts and video footage show government supporters attacking the protesters with clubs and other weapons and setting fire to tents. Hours later, Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Prime Minister.
“The attack on peaceful protesters by Sri Lankan government supporters has sparked a dangerous escalation, increasing the risk of further deadly violence and other abuses,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director at Human Rights Watch. “It is vitally important for the security forces to fully respect the right to peaceful assembly, and for those responsible for violence to be held to account.”
Kasumi Ranasinghe Arachchige, a protester who was at Galle Face Green, when the attack occurred, said that police forces at the scene, which included a water cannon truck, “retreated” when government supporters attacked protesters with knives and sticks. “They [government supporters] started destroying everything,” she said, describing damage to tents and other facilities, including temporary showers and a small library. “It seemed as if they knew what and who to look for.”
Over 150 people have been reported injured and at least five dead in different incidents, including the attack on Galle Face Green, and the government has imposed a nationwide curfew. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and the Bar Association, as well as foreign diplomats, condemned the attack on protesters and called for an impartial investigation.
In recent months, Sri Lanka’s economic crisis has provoked widespread protests calling for political reform and for the resignation of the President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and his brother Mahinda, the Prime Minister. On April 1, President Rajapaksa imposed a State of Emergency, lifting it five days later. The government reimposed a State of Emergency on May 6 after police fired teargas and arrested students protesting near Parliament, which was adjourned until May 17. Although the protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful, the police fatally shot a protester on April 19, and on several occasions have used teargas and water cannon against protesters. The authorities have made numerous arrests and repeatedly imposed curfews.
Following the attack on the protesters’ camp at the Galle Face Green, there were numerous violent incidents in Colombo and elsewhere in the country, including clashes between government supporters and anti-government protesters, and attacks on the property of ruling party politicians. In Nittambuwa, 50 kilometers from Colombo, police said that Amarakeerthi Athukorala, a government member of Parliament, opened fire on protesters blocking his car, wounding one and killing another, then fatally shot himself.
Concerned governments and international institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, which are offering assistance to address the country’s economic crisis, should insist that the government respect fundamental freedoms, Human Rights Watch said.
The latest State of Emergency was imposed on May 6, but the government did not immediately publish the emergency regulations laying out the special powers assumed. Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Sri Lanka is a party, certain rights may be derogated, or restricted, under a State of Emergency, while other rights, including the right to life and prohibition of torture, may not under any circumstances be limited. Any derogation must be limited and proportionate. Foreign governments, including the United States and Canada, as well as the European Union, have questioned President Rajapaksa’s decision to assume emergency powers.
Sri Lanka has a poor record under successive administrations of investigating and prosecuting countless grave violations of human rights. During a previous government between 2005 and 2010, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa, as well as other senior figures in the current administration, were implicated in the killing and enforced disappearance of journalists and political activists and in numerous war crimes during the civil war that ended in May 2009.
“In recent weeks, thousands of Sri Lankans have peacefully protested against corruption and called for accountable governance and respect for human rights,” Ganguly said. “Pro-government supporters have responded to those calls with violence, which those in authority need to stop.”
‘Companies may face US sanctions’: Lanka to put ‘national interest’ first as 19 Iranian vessels seek help
(ToI) Sri Lanka said on Friday it would “prioritise our national interests” before providing assistance to the crews of 19 Iranian ships anchored in international waters near the island nation.The crews are facing shortages of food, water and fuel. A foreign ministry spokesperson cited the risk of US sanctions against Sri Lankan companies supplying the vessels as a key concern.
The United States and Iran have been at war since February 28, when the US and Israel launched joint strikes against the Islamic Republic.
“Sri Lanka will put its national interest first before considering any help, and the companies that supply ships are aware of possible secondary sanctions from the United States,” spokesperson Thushara Rodrigo told reporters, ruling out any immediate assistance to the vessels.
Rodrigo clarified, however, that Sri Lanka had received no communication from the United States warning of repercussions if it decided to assist the vessels.According to Rodrigo, the ships are stationed 24 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s coast.The Iranian Embassy said it had no information on the matter.
In March, a US torpedo attack sank the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Dena in Sri Lankan waters, killing 87 sailors.
The ship was returning to Iran after participating in a naval exercise at India’s invitation. A second Iranian vessel was brought to a Sri Lankan port after its crew reported technical problems.
Wounded sailors were treated at Sri Lankan hospitals, while those rescued from the second vessel were safely repatriated to Iran.
Sri Lanka is still recovering from an economic crisis, with both the United States and Iran serving as important trading partners. Washington played a key role in securing an International Monetary Fund bailout and supporting Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector to help avert a food crisis.
Sri Lanka CERT has warned the public of fraudulent social media advertisements offering admission to foreign universities after receiving complaints from parents and students who have lost hundreds of thousands of rupees to scammers.
The fraudsters reportedly pose as representatives of reputed foreign universities, promising admission, student visas, work permits and even eventual citizenship in return for registration fees and initial tuition payments.
They use convincing videos, photographs and documents circulated via email and WhatsApp to gain the confidence of unsuspecting victims before asking them to transfer money to foreign bank accounts. The scammers then disappear after receiving the payments, Sri Lanka CERT said.
The agency has urged prospective students and their parents to verify the authenticity of university representatives, documents and bank account details before making payments, and to seek overseas education opportunities only through legitimate and recognised channels.
Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and International Court of Justice judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her contribution to international law and efforts to promote peace, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced in Oslo on Friday.
Announcing the award, committee chairman Jørgen Watne Frydnes said Pillay had “significantly enlarged the scope and impact of international law” and helped advance “a more comprehensive global legal order” with exceptional courage. He also praised her long career, which began as a lawyer confronting deep-rooted discrimination in South Africa, and described her as a person with a “firm moral compass”.
Pillay, 85, served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. Her tenure brought her into sharp focus in Sri Lanka, particularly over her assessment of the country’s human rights situation in the aftermath of the decades-long civil war.
During an official fact-finding visit to Sri Lanka from August 25 to 31, 2013, Pillay travelled to areas including Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Trincomalee, where she met civil war survivors, families of the disappeared and local communities.
Following the visit, she warned that Sri Lanka was moving towards authoritarianism and highlighted what she described as a persistent climate of fear.
She also reported intimidation and harassment of people who had sought to meet her during the mission.
Pillay urged the UN Human Rights Council to establish an international inquiry mechanism to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both government forces and the LTTE during the final stages of the 26-year civil war.
Her observations and recommendations became a significant part of international scrutiny of Sri Lanka’s post-war human rights record.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee received 287 nominations for this year’s Peace Prize, slightly more than a quarter of them being organisations. The committee traditionally considers efforts to promote peace, international fraternity and institutions that contribute to lasting stability.
Last year, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the prize for her campaign for a democratic transition in Venezuela. She was praised as a woman who kept the flame of democracy burning amid growing darkness.
The 2026 award marks the 125th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize, first presented in 1901. Over its history, the prize has recognised prominent figures and organisations involved in advancing peace, human rights and international cooperation.
Showers above 75 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva and North-Western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Anuradhapura and Mannar districts.
Iranian ships stranded, Lanka fears US sanctions
Sri Lanka CERT warns of overseas university admission scams
Navi Pillay’s Lankan affairs in focus as she wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize
Lanka welcomes Indian SC remarks on Katchatheevu dispute
UN at Crossroads, Trump nearing End of the Road
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