Author: CPA Comms Officer

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights visit to Sri Lanka: Recommendations and Key Issues for Consideration

June 2025 The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights H.E. Volker Turk is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka this month—the first visit by a High Commissioner since the 2024 election of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the National People’s Power (NPP) government. The visit takes place at a key moment in Sri Lanka with […]

Land Appropriation Continues to Threaten Northern and Eastern Communities

The appropriation of land under the guise of security, development and other reasons, in the Northern and Eastern provinces, highlights the complexities of Sri Lanka’s land related conflicts. Over the decades, several initiatives have been taken to dispossess people of their lands such as the creation of high security zones and special economic zones to […]

Concerns over the continued use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA)

3 April 2025 The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is deeply concerned with the continued use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) by the Sri Lankan state. According to media reports, a youth was recently arrested under the PTA for allegedly pasting stickers that criticised the actions of Israel in Gaza. It is also […]

Letter to the Minister of Women and Child Affairs

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, I write on behalf of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) to urge immediate attention to urgent law and policy reforms towards women empowerment and gender equality. We recognise your efforts, particularly during the CEDAW intervention in February this year, towards upholding and advancing the rights of women […]

Calls for a Public Prosecutor’s Office – The Urgent need for reforms

19 February 2025 In early February 2025, media reported of the Attorney General’s intention to discharge three suspects in case number B 92/2009. The case was linked to the murder of senior editor Lasantha Wickrematunge, and the decision to discharge the suspects led to criticisms from sections of society. This resulted in President Anura Kumara […]

Navigating Sri Lanka’s Economic Precarity: The Need to Address Foundational Issues in Governance

A robust economic recovery for Sri Lanka requires an understanding of how the country fell into economic precarity. The learnings of both the Civil Society Governance Diagnostic Report and the International Monetary Fund’s Governance Diagnostic Assessment of Sri Lanka made it apparent that Sri Lanka’s economic crisis is first a crisis of governance. In other […]

Letter to the Honourable Minister of Justice

Following the Presidential and Parliamentary elections, the National People’s Power (NPP) has been entrusted with a significant mandate by the people of Sri Lanka, presenting you with the opportunity to drive key reforms to restore public trust, transparent governance, justice, and accountability. On behalf of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), I am writing to […]