CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, calls on the government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to halt the continued harassment of activists and journalists and crackdown on protests. One year since he came to power, there has been a failure to reform restrictive laws and to address accountability for past crimes.
Some actions, highlighted in a brief published today by the CIVICUS Monitor, are inconsistent with Sri Lanka’s human rights obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCPR imposes obligations to respect and protect civic freedoms, including freedoms of association, expression and peaceful assembly. These rights are also enshrined in Sri Lanka’s constitution.
The state of civic space in Sri Lanka is rated as ‘repressed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. Over the last year, the CIVICUS Monitor has documented increasing regulations and onerous bureaucratic requirements for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to register and operate, as a result of the militarisation of civilian administrative functions. Further, CSOs are closely monitored by intelligence services, particularly in the north and east where the civil war occurred.
Human rights defenders and activists continue to face intimidation and harassment, while journalists critical of the government, particularly those based in the north and on the east coast, are subjected to ongoing surveillance, harassment, and intimidation by the police and military. There have also been restrictions and arrests of protesters.
"For a year now, the Dissanayake government has continued a troubling legacy of repression, erecting barriers to civil society, harassing those who defend human rights, and silencing critical voices in the media. This crackdown on freedoms must stop. The government must act now to protect the rights of activists and journalists and allow them to work without fear, interference, or retaliation,” said Josef Benedict, Asia researcher for CIVICUS
CIVICUS is also alarmed by the failure to repeal or review restrictive laws to bring them in line with international law and standards. The notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) has been used to target perceived opponents and minority communities without credible evidence, despite repeated pledges to end the practice. Furthermore, the Online Safety Act, that is inconsistent with international human rights standards and has sparked fears among rights groups, remains in force. This runs contrary to the promises made by the National People’s Power (NPP), during the presidential elections to abolish the act altogether.
The Dissanayake government has also failed to launch any credible accountability process into the crimes committed during the civil war, despite overwhelming evidence gathered by the UN and human rights groups. Meanwhile, Tamil activists and victim communities continue to face repression and other violations for demanding justice and accountability.
“The authorities must revise or repeal all laws to ensure they comply with the government’s commitment to civic freedoms under the ICCPR. It must also ensure accountability for crimes during the civil war and order all agencies to immediately end all forms of reprisals against representatives of civil society, human rights defenders, journalists, victims and their families, mobilising for justice and accountability.” added Benedict
About the CIVICUS Monitor
Over twenty organisations collaborate on the CIVICUS Monitor to provide an evidence base for action to improve civic space on all continents. Civic freedoms in 198 countries and territories are categorised as ither open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed or closed, based on a methodology that combines several data sources on the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression.
Civic space in Sri Lanka is rated repressed by the CIVICUS Monitor.
