The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) alongside Centre for Justice and Accountability (CJA) has issued a report calling calls on the United Nations Human Rights Council to hold Sri Lanka accountable for crimes committed against journalists.

Their report highlights that under the Rajapaksa’s previous administration there were targeted campaigns against journalists with “white van commandos,” kidnapping and murder journalists. The report highlights the involvement of former Defence Secretary and current President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as well as the “Tripoli Platoon,” a unit within the Military Intelligence Division that surveilled and attacked journalists. In December 2019, Rajapaksa denied involvement in the thousands of abductions, decrying the allegations as "bogus".

Attacks associated with the Tripoli Platoon include the murder of Lasantha Wickramatunga, the abduction of Keith Noyahr, the assault on Upali Tennakoon, and the disappearance of Prageeth Eknelygoda. 

The report further details increased attacks on journalists since Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected to office. Despite multiple promises made by the government, these horrific incidents under either presidency have failed to result in accountability.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights has recommended passing a new resolution that establishes a mechanism to collect and preserve evidence to support future accountability processes, enhanced monitoring of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, and supporting civil society initiatives.

Recommendations have been made to the Government of Sri Lanka as well, including the immediate cessation of harassment against journalists, investigation into prior crimes against journalists and the resumption of stalled investigations, the release of former CID Director Shani Abeysekera who was overseeing an investigation into violence against journalists before he was wrongfully detained, and repealing legislation criminalizing criticism of the government.

Read the full report here

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa sent a letter to ‘close friend’, Chinese president Xi Jinping. 

Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China, Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona, gave the Director General of the Department of Protocol Hong Lei at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China a special gift and personal message from Rajapaksa. 

Recently, China and Sri Lanka have become more amicable after strengthening economic ties, allowing China to extend its influence on the island while Sri Lanka relies on monetary assistance.

Dr. Kohona expressed his enthusiasm about bilateral relations between the two countries. Hong acknowledged the close friendship between Rajapaksa and Xi Jinping, and reassured Kohona that China could be counted on as a friend to the island and stressed the role Chinese companies will play as the island continues to open up further to trade and investment.

The Sri Lankan government has denied its involvement in the destruction of the memorial at Jaffna University honouring the tens of thousands of lives lost in the Mullivaikkal massacre in 2009. 

Cabinet co-spokesman Udaya Gammanpila said the government had not taken a “policy decision” on the matter and the responsibility lay with the University Grants Commission and university authorities. Chair of the University Grants Commission, Sampath Amaratunge, defended the decision last week, arguing that the monument threatened unity in the country. However Jaffna University Vice Chancellor S. Srisatkunarajah admitted that the decision had been taken as a result of pressure from the Sri Lankan government and military.

On Monday, construction was reportedly started on a new monument at Jaffna University to replace the destroyed one with the help of the Jaffna University Vice Chancellor S. Srisatkunarajah and university students after tensions grew in Jaffna. Scepticism remains since the Vice Chancellor stated that the new monument would be a 'peace monument'.

<p>Muslim coronavirus victims are being forcibly cremated by the Sri Lankan government, reports the Economist on January 2, following new rules issued by the health ministry making cremations compulsory, upsetting Muslims who blame Islamophobia.&nbsp;</p> <p>“With the pandemic approaching last spring, the government issued guidelines that permitted burial of those infected provided the grave was at least six feet deep and the water table low enough not to get contaminated,” it said. “However, when the disease claimed its first Muslim victim on March 31st, hospital workers defied the victim’s family and had him cremated.”</p> <p>Vice President of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka Hilmy Ahamed maintained “more than 80 Muslim victims of covid-19 have been forcibly cremated,” noting&nbsp; heightened “anti-Muslim prejudice on the government’s part” after Buddhist nationalist Rajapaksa family were elected.&nbsp;</p> <p>“In a statement to Parliament a year ago, Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised to make sure Sri Lanka had only ‘one law for all the people,’” a slogan which was evoked “by chauvinist Buddhist monks [who] marched to the office of the president in Colombo and presented a petition arguing that allowing Muslim victims of covid-19 to be buried would violate the president’s clearly stated policy.”</p> <p>“There cannot be religious laws for some, one prelate shouted: After running the government so well for one year, will you ruin it all for a dead body?”</p> <p>Read the full article <u><a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/01/02/sri-lanka-is-forcibly-cremati…">here</a></u></p>

During the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Deputy Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN, Dayani Mendis, requested the UNHRC recognise the achievements Sri Lanka has made towards reconciliation, development and the promotion and protection of human rights within the span of four years.

Amongst these achievements are the establishment of the Office on Missing Persons and Office for Reparations. Both of which have been sharply criticised by human rights activists, legal experts, and journalists who have argued that these institutions simply provide lip service to the ideas of reconciliation without actually delivering on these goals.

Read more here: Sri Lanka's transitional justice process has failed say international rights lawyers

This statement follows the continued protest of Tamil communities whose loved ones have disappeared. They have continued this protest for almost 1,000 days across the North-East, demanding action on investigating forcible disappearances and accountability for the crimes committed.

 

Read more here: Relatives of disappeared demand answers and condemn Sri Lanka’s OMP

Yasmin Sooka, Director of the ITJP, has stated:

"We have reached out to the OMP and said "truth lies within your hands" you can subpoena the Sri Lanka commanders who were there on those days to find out about these victims whereabouts. They have failed to act […] the OMP has no teeth”.

The lack of progress has left Tamil communities with little truth in the current institutions.

Despite these objections she pressed on and stated:

"As we proceed on our path, we urge this Council to accord due recognition to these gains made by Sri Lanka amidst numerous challenges, including a spate of terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of many hundreds of innocent Sri Lankans as well as foreigners on Easter Sunday this year and that has compelled Sri Lanka to realign its immediate priorities," the envoy said.

The full statement can be found here.

<p>The travel ban imposed on Lieutenant Commander G.Laksiri, a key witness in the case of the abduction and murder of 11 youth&nbsp;between 2008 and 2009,&nbsp;was temporarily lifted on July 17. The order was issued by Colombo Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanyake.&nbsp;</p> <p>Meanwhile, the case filed against Sri Lanka’s Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, was also postponed until October 9.</p> <p>Last year, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne was remanded in custody following a summons by the CID over his involvement in helping the main suspect, Lieutenant Commander Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi alias 'Navy Sampath', evade arrest.</p> <p>The eleven youths have been named as Kasthuriarachchi John, Thyagarajah Jegan, Rajiv Naganathan, Soosaipillai Amalan, Soosaipillai Roshan, Kasthuriarachchi Anton, Prageeth Vishvanathan, Thilakeshwaran Ramalingam, Mohamed Dilan, Mohamed Saajid and Ali Anwar.&nbsp;</p> <p>The youth&nbsp;are believed to have been held in navy bases at Trincomalee and Colombo before being murdered.</p>

<p>UN Special Rapporteur Clément Nyalestsossi Voule is visiting Sri Lanka from 18 to 26 July 2019 to assess rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the country.</p> <p>Voule will assess issues related to the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, including their intersection with the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.</p> <p>“We have seen a commendable effort to expand civic space in Sri Lanka, the establishment of strong and independent institutions, and noticeable strides towards truth and reconciliation in the country,” Voule said.</p> <p>“I hope that my visit will aid in the further strengthening of public freedom, at a conjuncture where the country has had to face important challenges, including the recent and tragic Easter terrorist attacks,” he added.</p> <p>During his visit, the Special Rapporteur will visit the Northern, Eastern and Southern provinces as well as Colombo. He will meet with Government officials, representatives of the judiciary, legislature, media, civil society, trade unions and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka.</p> <p>The Special Rapporteur will hold a press conference on 26 July in Colombo at the united Nations compound, to present his findings.</p> <p>A comprehensive report on his visit will be presented at the 44th session of the UN Human Rights Council in June 2020.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka’s prime minster said he will do his utmost to find a permanent solution to the national question in the next two years.</p> <p>“I would like to say that we have reached a political settlement. The issue will be resolved in the next two years. It will create an environment in which Sri Lankans can live with pride. I like the fact that we are Sri Lankans irrespective of our nationality. Everyone here should think that way,” he said.</p> <p>Wickremesinghe made this statement addressing the 125th anniversary and prize giving ceremony of Kandarodai Skanthavarodaya Vidyalaya, in Chunnakam, Jaffna on July 15.</p>

<p>President Maithripala Sirisena has claimed that international drug syndicates orchestrated Sri Lanka’s deadly Easter Sunday bombings, although previously blaming the attacks on Islamist terrorists.</p> <p>In a statement released on Monday, Sirisena said the attacks “were the work of international drug dealers.”</p> <p>“Drug barons carried out this attack to discredit me and discourage my anti-narcotics drive. I will not be deterred,” he said.</p> <p>The President’s statement comes amid a nationwide narcotics crackdown, with President Maithripala Sirisena trying to bring an end to the 43 year moratorium on the death penalty.</p> <p>Following the attacks, Sirisena had said that local terrorists and international terror groups were responsible.</p> <p>Sudarshana Gunawardana, spokesman for the Prime Minister responded to the President’s claims.</p> <p>“Police completed the investigations within about two weeks. There is no mention of drug dealers being involved. We have no reason to doubt our investigators,” he said.</p> <p>Sri Lankan authorities have said local jihadist group National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) was responsible for the string of suicide bombings in churches and luxury hotels on Easter Sunday which killed over 250 people.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Kurunegala Magistrate's Court&nbsp;remanded a Muslim doctor who was falsely charged of sterilising Sinhala women after protests by Buddhist monks and lawyers.&nbsp;</p> <p>Buddhist monks and lawyers claimed that releasing the doctor, Mohamed Shafi,&nbsp; could lead to violence in Kurunegala.</p> <p>Despite the State saying it had no objections to bail, the court ordered that Shafi be remanded for another two weeks.&nbsp;</p> <p>Court documents seen by AFP show that Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigations Department&nbsp;found no evidence to support any of the allegations against Shafi&nbsp;and instead said that Deputy Inspector General of Police Kithsiri Jayalath, chief in Shafi's home region of Kurunegala, fabricated evidence and fed it to Sinhalese newspapers.</p> <p>Shafi was arrested on May 24 over allegations that he had carried out illegal sterlisations of thousands of Sinhala women. The doctor was subjected to a smear campaign by Sinhala newspaper Divaina which published unsourced allegations against the doctor.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The EU and Sri Lanka held an informal counter-terrorism dialogue today, chaired by Gilles de Kerchove, the EU Counter Terrorism Coordinator. .</p> <p>Challenges relating to violent extremism and terrorism were discussed.&nbsp;The EU delegation underlined the importance of efficient coordination of counterterrorism effortts with a focus&nbsp;on the prevention of violent extremism and the importance of counterterrorism&nbsp;responses to be in line with human rights obligations.&nbsp;</p> <p>The EU presented Sri Lanka with a support package worth EUR 8.5 million which will focus on law enforcement, rehabiliation and disengagement, counter-narratives, and online radicalisation.&nbsp;</p> <p>Mr de Kerchove was set to hold meetings with President Maithiripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Tilak Marapana.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sri Lankan President, Maithripala Sirisena, said he rejected an appeal by United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, to reconsider his restoration of the death penalty after 43 years.</p> <p>“I told the Secretary-General that I want to save my country from drugs,” Sirisena said in a meeting in Colombo.</p> <p>“He telephoned me last week shortly after I signed four death warrants. I told him please allow me to stamp put the drug menace,” Sirisena said.</p> <p>He also accused the European Union of interfering in Sri Lanka’s domestic affairs.</p> <p>&nbsp;“The EU told me that they will withdraw the GSP Plus (tariff concession) if I go ahead. This is interfering with the sovereignty and independence of our country. It is unacceptable.”</p> <p>Last Wednesday, President Sirisena announced an end to a moratorium on the death penalty. He signed papers authorising the executions of four convicts who sentenced over drug related offences. He did not give their names or when and where the executions will take place.</p> <p>President Sirisena is facing several court challenges over his decision to reinstate the death penalty.</p>

<p>Religious minorities in Sri Lanka continue to be attacked, said the US Department in its 2018 report on International Religious Freedom.</p> <p>According to the report, Buddhist nationalist groups, such as the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), continued to promote the supremacy of the ethnic Sinhalese Buddhist majority and vilify religious and ethnic minorities, especially via social media during the Kandy riots in March 2018. These social media campaigns targeting religious minorities fuelled hatred and incited violence.</p> <p>The report stated the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka documented 74 incidents of attacks on churches, intimidation of and violence against pastors and their congregations, and obstruction of worship services. &nbsp;</p> <p>“Local government officials and police reportedly responded minimally or not at all to numerous incidents of religiously motivated violence against Muslim and Christians minorities,” the report added. &nbsp;</p> <p>The report also said the US Ambassador has regularly met with the President, Prime Minister and other senior government officials to emphasise the need for respect for and inclusion of ethnic and religious minorities as part of the post-conflict reconciliation process.</p> <p>Read the full report <a href="https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-report-on-international-religious-fr…">here</a>.</p> <p>Last year, the State Department report noted that the construction of Buddhist shrines by Buddhist groups and the military in the North-East continued, despite the shrines being built in areas with few, if any, Buddhist residents.</p>

<p>A prominent Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka has accused Muslims of destroying the island’s majority Sinhalese community and called for a boycott of Muslim- run shops and businesses.</p> <p>Monk Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana, the chief prelate of the Asgiriya Chapter of Buddhism&nbsp;said, “Don’t eat from those (Muslim) shops. Those who ate from those shops will not have children in the future. In another 10 to 15 years, we will know the consequence.”</p> <p>The monk also made reference to a Muslim doctor who has been in the centre of an unsubstantiated sterilisation claims. He said the Muslim doctor who had served in the Matale and Kurunegala districts had allegedly done a “heroic” deed by destroying “hundreds of thousands of Sinhalese children.”</p> <p>“Such traitors should not be allowed to stay free. Some ‘upasaka ammas’ (female devotees) said he should be stoned to death. I don’t say that, but that is what should be done.”</p> <p>“Laws and rules are not necessary. We should unite as Sinhala-Buddhists. We should not look at colours and vote. We should elect people who think of the (Sinhala) race and country,” the monk added.</p>