Statement at the 53rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Adoption of the UPR report of Sri Lanka
Delivered by Tharindu Jayawardhana
Thank you, Mr President.
Mr President, the Centre for Society and Religion, Asia Legal Resource Centre and CIVICUS welcome the government of Sri Lanka's engagement with the UPR process.
Since its last review, Sri Lanka did not implement any of the nine recommendations related to civic space. We note that Sri Lanka accepted 24 of the 31 recommendations on civic space it received during this cycle including to ensure a safe environment for civil society, including human rights defenders and journalists and refrain from imposing undue limitation on NGOs.
Despite these commitments, space for civil society has continued to come under attack in recent years. We have documented arbitrary arrests, detention, harassment and surveillance of activists and journalists and the misuse of the PTA and ICCPR Act and other laws to silence freedom of expression and assembly. We also documented restrictions on protests and harassment and intimidation of protesters - including against families of disappeared persons in the north and east - and the use of excessive force and prosecution of protesters following the economic crisis. We are concerned the imminent “NGO law” will curtail freedom of association and legalize government interference in civil society.
Mr President, our organisations call on the Government of Sri Lanka to withdraw charges against activist and lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah charged under the PTA; discharge activist and comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya facing several court cases including under the ICCPR Act; to discharge protesters facing court cases related to protests under various laws and to conduct impartial investigations and prosecutions in relation to violations committed by police and armed forces in the context of protests and repeal all draconian legislation used to criminalise activists.
We thank you.
Civic space in Sri Lanka is rated as "Obstructed" by the CIVICUS Monitor.
