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Executive Summary
Context: President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as the 9th Executive President of Sri Lanka. As NPP only had three parliament members in the Parliament, a three-member interim cabinet was appointed and the Parliament was dissolved calling for a new General Election. President Dissanayake committed to “renegotiating” a $3 billion bailout loan with the International Monetary Fund, which is crucial for Sri Lanka in light of its severe economic crisis. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights presented the report on the Situation of human rights in Sri Lanka at the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council. Later that day Sri Lanka issued a statement opposing the proposed UNHRC draft Resolution which extended the mandate to establish an external war crimes evidence-gathering mechanism for another year. The then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Sabry, responding to a journalist, stated that Sri Lanka opposes an external mechanism investigating Sri Lanka’s alleged war crimes during the civil war and also falsely claimed that 90% of those reported as having disappeared had been found. The stance of the new government on accountability for war crimes in Sri Lanka does not seem to be very clear at this point since this remains to be a transitional period. However, it raised concerns when the Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath of the interim government appreciated Saudi Arabia’s support to Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council to oppose such mechanisms.
A number of commemorative events remembering the 37th anniversary of Lt Col Thileepan’s hunger strike, 25th Anniversary of Air Force attack on Manthuvil in 1999, the 28th anniversary of the gang rape and murder of Krishanthi Kumarasamy, 34th anniversary of Eastern University massacre were held throughout the former war affected Northern and Eastern provinces.
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Case updates: The Supreme Court decided to hear a human rights petition filed by human rights lawyer Senaka Perera against the placement of barricades equipped with deadly iron spikes against a march organised by the Inter-University Students’ Union during people’s protests in 2022. Sri Lanka’s acting Inspector General of Police, Priyantha Weerasooriya, issued a circular instructing Police officers to withdraw from their duties in relation to the infamous anti drug initiative, Yukthiya Meheyuma (Operation Justice), while relevant Police stations were instructed to continue investigations into organised crime and drug trafficking and to take necessary measures. Details of skeletons exhumed last year in Kokkuthoduvai mass grave to be finally made public with the intention of eliciting information about the deceased from the public. Excavations at the mass grave in Sri Lanka’s main harbour in Colombo were postponed.
| “I wish to once again emphasise Sri Lanka’s strong rejection of Resolution 51/1 and the external evidence-gathering mechanism established within OHCHR. This unproductive and unwarranted mechanism exceeds the Council’s mandate, contradicts its founding principles, and polarises the Council, undermining the progress we have made domestically. The selective and disproportionate focus on handpicked developing countries while ignoring critical situations elsewhere is unacceptable. We urge the Council to avoid politicisation and double standards, and to focus on dire humanitarian situations that require urgent action to maintain its credibility.” Statement by Sri Lanka as the country concerned, following the Presentation of the Comprehensive Report on Sri Lanka by the High Commissioner for Human Rights 09 September 2024 |
The new President assured a fresh probe into Easter Sunday attacks. The family of assassinated journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge made a formal appeal to the newly elected President, urging the reopening of an investigation into the assassination. Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, who was previously denied his retirement privileges for participating at political meetings of the NPP last year, assumed duty as the new Defence Secretary.
A Bill was presented to the House to establish the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Eelam Tamils have consistently opposed the bill, contending that none of the mechanisms suggested by the Sri Lankan government would ensure a just investigation into war crimes. They have persistently called for an independent international mechanism to achieve justice for the atrocities that have occurred. The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc-Andre Franche, emphasised the urgent necessity to uncover the truth and deliver justice to those affected by enforced disappearances.
The controversial Puss Buddha (Cat Buddha) Facebook page was accused of allegedly parodying the chronicles of Lord Buddha has resumed publishing its sarcastic content after the silence of almost a year, as the new government came into power.
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Election Situation: The presidential election was held on the 21st of September. Among the 39 candidates who contested the election, there were no female candidates. The abuse of state power and resources, concerns regarding marginalised populations, and social media-related election law violations were some of the major trends observed during the pre-election period.
The election was considered relatively peaceful by both local and international election observers. The voter turnout of 79.46% was slightly less than in the previous presidential elections. As the leading candidate could not secure more than 50% of the votes, preferential votes were counted for the first time in the history of Presidential elections in Sri Lanka. Even though campaigning was illegal during the silent period, some candidates continued their campaigns during this period using social media including paid promotions. Issues relating to inadequate accessibility for persons with disabilities and the elderly, homophobic and ethnonationalist, and racist social media posts disparaging and ridiculing ethnic and queer minorities were observed during the post election period.
Repression of Media and Journalists: Reportedly, several members of the Presidential Media Unit threatened and forcefully deleted a few footages that local journalists recorded when a brawl occurred between groups in an election rally held in Kekirawa, in the Anuradhapura district. Foreign journalists covering the presidential election experienced difficulties in obtaining visas, including visa delays and outright refusals. A group of people threatened with death and arson attacks on the residence of a local journalist based in Galle.
Freedom of assembly and association: On the 30th of August, on the international day of the victims of the enforced disappearances, the Magistrate Court in Vavuniya issued an order preventing Tamil families of the disappeared from organising a protest in Vavuniya on the 1st of September. Police obstructed a campaign, arrested, interrogated and filed a legal case against the former MP, the General Secretary of Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) Selvarajah Kajendren for organising a campaign urging people to boycott the election as all major candidates from the South ignore the demands of Tamil people. The Police claimed the campaign was ‘illegal’. Jaffna Police requested a court order to prevent commemorative events and memorials in remembrance of Lt Col Thileepan, a Tamil rebel leader who died during a hunger strike during the early days of Sri Lanka’s civil war. It was reported that army personnel intimidated people who were involved in the installation of a new plaque on the old memorial commemorating the Saththurukondan massacre in Batticaloa by taking photographs of those who were doing the installation and questioning the residents in the neighbourhood. The Sri Lankan army was accused of killing more than 180 victims during the Saththurukondan massacre in 1990.
Repressive Legal and Policy Action: Two Gazettes notifications that were issued by (former) President Wickramasinghe made the supply of electricity and petroleum essential services. Declaration as essential services has been a common practice by the government to prevent trade union actions related to said services. Newly elected President Dissanayake also issued the monthly special order , same as the previous Presidents, calling the armed forces for the country’s security, providing additional powers to the military to intervene in civilian affairs , indicating continuing militarization in the country. Similar gazettes have been issued almost each month since August 2019, after the emergency laws following the Easter bomb attack were lifted.
Other Incidents: Nuwara Eliya Government Agent made a Police complaint regarding threats made by a businessman demanding not to provide contracts to anyone other than the said businessman who claimed to be an ally of a politician linked to the then government in power.
This statement is completely untrue and baseless as I never made such affirmation. What I said was that the key objective of the proposed CTUR law was not to punish war heroes as alleged by some, but to identify root causes for the conflict and recommend measures for promoting and establishing unity and reconciliation. I also stated that in doing so, if the proposed commission discovers incidents of crime and violation of human rights, such incidents will be referred to the relevant law enforcement authorities for investigation, prosection and other necessary action. – “The Director General of the Interim Secretariat for Truth and Reconciliation Mechanism (ISTRM), Dr Asanga Gunawansa, affirmed that the suggested Commission for Truth, Unity, and Reconciliation (CTUR) would not pursue accountability for alleged war crimes and human rights violations during the civil war by the Sri Lankan military”