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Executive Summary
Accountability:
Appointments to the Office of Reparations: The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi expressed its strong opposition to the president regarding the alleged move to appoint individuals with defence-sector backgrounds to the Office of Reparations, warning that such appointments would undermine confidence in a body intended to deliver justice to victims of the armed conflict.
Proposed Office of the Public Prosecutor: The Legal Officers’ Association of the Attorney General’s Department has formally expressed strong opposition to the government’s proposal to establish an Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to improve independence, transparency and efficiency in the criminal justice system. The association unanimously adopted a resolution rejecting the proposed separation of prosecutorial functions from the Attorney General’s Department.
Easter Sunday Attack: The president told parliament that some evidence linked to the attacks had been destroyed, but the government had already begun collecting fresh evidence to uncover the truth. The police have indicated that they have not yet received details regarding the destroyed material or those responsible, and that the matter remains with the CID.
Mass Graves: Demonstrations continue to take place demanding justice for the victims of the Chemmani mass graves.
Civil and Political Rights:
Prevention of Terrorism Act: The continued use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act has drawn renewed scrutiny following the arrest of Attorney-at-Law Thamara Abeyratne under the Act in connection with the killing of underworld figure Sanjeewa Kumara Samararatne inside the Hulftsdorp Magistrate’s Court in 2025. The Bar Association expressed concern over the application of the PTA, which is not a terrorism-related case.
Freedom of the Press: Journalists and media rights organisations remain concerned over the Online Safety Act and proposed amendments to the Press Council Act, which Free Media Movement warns create fear and regulatory uncertainty; Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association argues that by upholding such laws, the government demonstrates a tolerance for repression; and Federation of Media Employees’ Trade Unions notes that while OSA encourages self-censorship, IMF-imposed conditions simultaneously strengthen structural transparency.
Freedom of Assembly and Association: Reports indicated heightened surveillance, intimidation and restrictions targeting organisers and civil society activists involved in the Maaveerar Naal remembrance in the North and East.
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Environmental and Land Rights:
Environmental Rights: The Mannar Citizens’ Committee officially ended its 105-day protest against wind power construction and mineral sand mining on Mannar Island in November. At a media briefing, committee representatives acknowledged the government’s decision not to approve new wind projects but stressed that no adequate solutions had been provided to address the problems caused by existing plants, and that the protest would only end once clear assurances were given.
Land Rights: Land dispossession, militarisation, and sustained resistance continue to define the lived reality of Tamil communities across the North and East, as recent events reveal a pattern of unresolved structural injustice.
Rights of the marginalized Communities
LGBTIQ+ Rights: The intense opposition to sex-education reforms has started targeting LGBTIQ+ rights by drawing a rhetorical connection between the recommendations to incorporate sex-education into the school curriculum and the promotion of LGBTIQ+ rights among schools, where conservative religious leaders and nationalist civic groups, including the Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, seem to be the advocates of these sentiments.
Prisoners’ Rights: The Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners has expressed regret that successive governments have failed to hold those responsible for the deaths of inmates at Welikada and Mahara Prisons accountable. Speaking at this year’s Prisoners’ Justice Day event.
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