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Continued UNHRC scrutiny of Sri Lanka’s human rights record crucial: HRW

Published

4 years ago

2021/09/12

The United Nations Human Rights Council should maintain its rigorous scrutiny of Sri Lanka’s worsening human rights situation and press for genuine improvements, Human Rights Watch said on Friday.

They further said: “At the Council’s upcoming session, which begins on September 13, 2021, UN member countries should express their alarm about the ongoing abuses by the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the weakening of independent governmental institutions, civilian governance, and the rule of law. These countries should demonstrate their willingness to press the Sri Lankan government to meet its international human rights obligations,” they said.

“Since Gotabaya Rajapaksa took office in 2019, the limited progress Sri Lanka had made in addressing past atrocities and ending abuses has been disastrously reversed,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

“Continued international attention and pressure can help reduce the risks faced by minority communities, activists, and journalists, who live in heightened fear of the authorities”.

“Earlier in 2021, the Human Rights Council adopted an important resolution, 46/1, to advance accountability for past rights violations and war crimes committed in Sri Lanka. The resolution also mandated regular reporting by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. In 2020, the Rajapaksa administration had renounced the previous administration’s commitments to the Human Rights Council to provide justice and end abuses.”

“The administration is using its security and intelligence agencies to check and intimidate the families of abuse victims and others who are seeking to uphold human rights. When we talk to the families of the ‘disappeared,’they say they can be arrested at any time,” a human rights defender in northern Sri Lanka told Human Rights Watch. “That they can arrest you for anything.”

“The authorities are using arrests and threats issued under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to silence calls for justice in the Tamil majority North and East, and to arbitrarily detain Muslims in counter-terrorism operations. In August, Inspector General of Police C.D. Wickramaratne said that 311 people were in custody for the deadly 2019 Easter bombings, many of them for over two years. However, no one has yet been brought to trial in connection with the attacks,” Human Rights Watch said.

“President Rajapaksa issued an ordinance under the PTA this year that allows for two years in detention without trial for the “rehabilitation” of people accused of causing “disharmony,” and another that creates a new PTA detention center at a notorious police facility in Colombo that would permit even more abuse under the terrorism law. These actions contradict the government’s claim to foreign diplomats that it was preparing to reform the PTA, which has been used to facilitate the arbitrary detention and torture of prisoners since its introduction in 1979.

Under the PTA, a prisoner can be held for up to 18 months without being produced in court. A newly formed “advisory board” of three presidential appointees to review pretrial detention orders under this law offers no credible legal protection against abuses”, Human Rights Watch said.

“The police Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) has been used to stifle civil society. They regularly visit the NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) and talk about the financial reports and staff lists and phone numbers,” an activist in the east, who described the visits as a method of surveillance and intimidation, told Human Rights Watch. “The TID visits NGOs regularly. It’s kind of routine.”

“An amendment to the constitution in 2020 undermined the independence of the judiciary by empowering the president to appoint senior judges. The amendment also undercut the independence of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, the status of which is now under review by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions. Recent appointments to the Office of Missing Persons, which is supposed to discover what happened to thousands of victims of enforced disappearance over several decades, have further undermined its credibility. The appointees include a former Inspector General of Police accused of destroying evidence in the murder of a journalist.

A presidential commission established in January 2020 to examine supposed cases of “political victimization” has recommended halting investigations or prosecutions in the few cases of serious abuses where there had been limited progress, and instead opening investigations against police investigators for allegedly falsifying evidence.” Human Rights Watch said.

“In August 2021, the Attorney General dropped charges against a former commander of the Navy implicated in the enforced disappearance of 11 men and boys between 2008 and 2009. Senior Superintendent of Police Shani Abeysekera, who led that and other major human rights investigations, received death threats and was imprisoned for a year and half, until the Court of Appeal found that the case against him was “fabricated.” Meanwhile, the government has sought to persuade diplomats at the Human Rights Council that an accountability process still exists, by referring to a separate presidential commission established by President Rajapaksa in January with a mandate to reexamine the reports of the numerous previous domestic commissions “to ascertain whether there have been violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law,” and whether previous recommendations had been implemented, ” Human Rights Watch said.

“On August 31, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry circulated a document to foreign diplomats in which the government claims, without basis, to have made “continued and tangible progress … in addressing issues related to achieving peace, reconciliation, and development, including accountability, within the domestic legal framework of Sri Lanka.”

They further said: “In fact, the government’s approach has been to emphasize “compensation” to victims over justice and accountability, as Justice Minister Ali Sabry said at an event organized by the Office of Missing Persons on August 31. The Foreign Ministry claims that these payments – about US$500 each in cases in which the victim died – will help bring “closure” and “reconciliation.”

“Far from promoting reconciliation, the government has repeatedly adopted policies that alienate Sri Lanka’s beleaguered minority communities. Tamils and Muslims in the North and East have complained of a concerted government policy to seize land belonging to members of their communities on various pretexts, including by a presidential task force on archaeology composed of Buddhist monks and members of the security forces.

Foreign governments should take firm and coordinated action to press the Sri Lankan government to reverse course”, Human Rights Watch said.

“The European Union should insist that Sri Lanka complies with its human rights obligations to maintain tariff free market access under GSP+, as should the United Kingdom under its similar program. Donor governments and multilateral agencies, such as the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, should immediately withhold support for Sri Lankan security forces until they take steps to halt and address violations, in compliance with UN due diligence standards.”

“Governments should also consider imposing targeted sanctions on senior figures implicated in grave abuses, and pursue prosecutions under universal jurisdiction, as recommended by the UN human rights chief, Michele Bachelet, earlier this year.”

“No one should be in any doubt that Sri Lanka’s human rights situation is deeply alarming and getting worse,” said. “UN member states should recognize that the government is sensitive to international pressure, and make the protection of human rights in Sri Lanka their priority,” Ganguly said.

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New Digitalization Policy draft reviewed

Published

2 hours ago

2025/12/13

Priyan

A meeting between representatives of UNICEF and Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya was held on the 10th of December at the Prime Minister’s Office.

During the discussion, an initial review of the new digitalization policy draft was conducted, and it was emphasized that the new digital policy must be formulated to align with the ongoing education reforms.

The Prime Minister highlighted that the digital policy should be developed in a way that supports all five core pillars of the current education reforms, including curriculum reform, infrastructure development, and administrative restructuring.

It was further noted that the current draft is primarily focused on curriculum-related matters, and the digital policy should be structured to influence the overall education reform process.

Extensive discussions were also held on the importance of digital literacy, NEMIS, the provision of digital infrastructure, and minimizing the existing digital divide.

Attention was also drawn to the gaps in the current teacher training mechanisms , and the Prime Minister stressed the need to reduce paper usage.

The meeting was attended by the UNICEF representatives Dr. Emma Brigham and Deborah Wyburn, Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, Additional Secretary A.B.M. Ashraff, and several other officials.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

Business

The government is taking steps to streamline trade facilitation, customs processes, investment approvals, and improving export facilities – Prime Minister

Published

2 hours ago

2025/12/13

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the government is taking steps to strengthen local exporters by making trade facilitation, customs procedures, and investment approvals more efficient, and by improving export services.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing the 27th Presidential Export Awards 2024/25 ceremony organized by the Ministry of Industries and Industrial Development together with the Export Development Board.

At this ceremony, which was held to recognize the best exporters of Sri Lanka for the financial year 2024/2025, a total of 107 awards including 15 overall awards and 92 sectoral awards for products and services were presented. Merit awards were also presented to eligible sectors based on applicants’ performance and their contribution to national economic development. Awardees were selected on several criteria such as export market diversification, job creation, growth in export revenue, repatriation of export income, environmental sustainability, institutional social responsibility, and value addition.

Institutions that demonstrated outstanding performance in the export sector were presented with the prestigious Presidential Export Awards for the year under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Minister of Industries and Industrial Development, Mr. Sunil Hadunnetti.

Further expressing her views, the Prime Minister stated:

“The Presidential Awards Ceremony for exporters reminds us that Sri Lanka’s progress depends not merely on policies or administration, but on the ability to produce, to create value, and to compete internationally.

Over the past year, we faced numerous challenges. As a result, global markets and supply chains were disrupted. Economic uncertainty prevailed. We faced natural disasters. Despite this, many exporters had to adjust to these changes, reorganize production processes, diversify customers, and adopt digital technologies in order to remain competitive in the market.

The impact of the Ditwah cyclone also affected several industries within the export sector. Production facilities, storage facilities, and transportation routes in affected areas were damaged. Production chains and delivery schedules were disrupted.

Under such a difficult situation, some exporters experienced significant setbacks while trying to meet international export demands.

The government is taking steps to support exporters by assessing the damages they suffered due to the emergency situation, restoring their operations, and helping them recover. The government is also working to strengthen resilience against future natural disasters and to rebuild affected areas in a way that minimizes the risk of similar situations arising again.

Sri Lanka is currently undergoing a new economic transformation. For many years, instability, policy inconsistencies, and administrative inefficiencies hindered the progress of the country. This weakened investor confidence and made it difficult for businesses to plan ahead.

However, the present government is committed to governance based on stability, transparency, and accountability. This is not a short-term approach. It is a long-term process to ensure that the country does not fall back into uncertainty.

For this purpose, the government is implementing strong fiscal management, predictable policies, clear and simplified regulations, anti-corruption measures, major institutional reforms, measures that allow businesses to plan ahead, instill investor confidence, minimize unnecessary barriers, and support the development of the private sector.

For a long time, we relied heavily on international loans to sustain national expenditures. However, this is not leading a path toward a stable future. Our progress depends on our ability to earn through trade, innovation, and global engagement.

Your ability to take Sri Lankan expertise and creativity to the world is a strength for the entire nation. The government is ready to extend the necessary support to achieve this.

We understand that issues such as policy inconsistencies, delays that increase operational costs, limited access to competitive financing, gaps in infrastructure and technology, weaknesses in trade facilitation, and slow progress in expanding market access have impacted you. I would like to assure you that the government is directly addressing these challenges.

The focus of the government has drawn to build efficient, transparent, and predictable systems, streamlining trade facilitation, customs processes, and investment approvals, improving export facilities, and minimizing the gap between local businesses and global markets.”

This event was attended by Ministers Kumara Jayakody, Ramalingam Chandrasekaran, Sunil Kumara Gamage; Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abesingha, Eranga Weerarathna, Arun Hemachandra, Nishantha Jayaweera, Muditha Hansaka Wijayamuni; Governor of the Central Bank Nandalal Weerasinghe; Secretary to the Ministry of Industries and Industrial Development Tilaka Jayasundara; Chairman of the Export Development Board Mangala Wijesinghe, along with ambassadors, foreign delegates, exporters, and a large gathering.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

News

Big fossil fuel companies are responsible for climate crisis but poor countries like Sri Lanka are battered by it – Greenpeace South Asia

Published

4 hours ago

2025/12/13

Thilina Walpola

Greenpeace South Asia yesterday sounded a renewed alarm after a rapid analysis by World Weather Attribution (WWA) confirmed that human-induced climate change significantly intensified the extreme rainfall that battered Sri Lanka during Cyclone Ditwah and fuelled severe flooding across the Malacca Strait.

Greenpeace South Asia said that according to the study, the five-day rainfall extremes, like those unleashed by Ditwah, are now 28% to 160% more intense due to the 1.3°C of global warming already driven by greenhouse-gas emissions. Warmer sea surface temperatures in the North Indian Ocean — 0.2°C above the 1991–2020 average — supplied the additional energy that powered the cyclone’s rapid strengthening and heavy downpours.

WWA researchers stressed that Sri Lanka’s existing vulnerabilities magnified the disaster’s impact. Steep highlands funnelled water into densely populated floodplains, while unplanned urbanisation in flood-prone areas heightened exposure. Breakdowns in ICT systems meant early warnings failed to reach many, leaving low-income and marginalised communities to absorb the worst of the cascading disruptions to transport, electricity and essential services.

Avinash Chanchal, Deputy Director of Greenpeace South Asia, said the human toll was worsened by forces far beyond the island’s control.”During Cyclone Ditwah, we saw people coming together — neighbours rescuing neighbours, volunteers working through the night,” he said. “But while ordinary Sri Lankans showed up for each other, the real culprits were nowhere to be seen. The WWA study confirms what we already knew: this disaster was intensified by the carbon pollution of the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies. They caused the crisis, yet it’s the frontline communities who pay the price.”

Greenpeace warned that events like Ditwah signal a dangerous new normal for the region.”With increasing incidents, like Cyclone Ditwah, it is clear that extreme weather events are no longer isolated,” said Kumar. “Communities in South Asia will continue to struggle to cope with such conditions.”

The organisation urged countries most responsible for historic emissions to respond decisively. “This is high time that developed-country governments stop pretending this is normal,” Greenpeace said. “They must immediately cut emissions, phase out fossil fuels, and deliver real finance for loss and damage. Anything less is a betrayal of the people already living on the frontlines of climate breakdown.”