Minoli Wijetunga on 30 March, 2020 On March 26, 2020, President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa granted a presidential pardon and released convicted death row prisoner and mass murderer, former Army Staff Sergeant R. M. Sunil Rathnayake. While the country is on lockdown due to COVID-19, the President has seized this opportunity to deal a lethal blow to the rule of law to show […]
Centre for Policy Alternatives on 19 July, 2018 19th July 2018, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The undersigned civil society activists and groups in Sri Lanka express our deep concern about the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers to take steps towards implementing the death penalty. The death penalty has not been implemented in Sri Lanka since 1976, though it continues to remain as a punishment […]
Centre for Policy Alternatives on 4 March, 2014 Download the following statement as a PDF here or read it online here. ### We recognize the framework agreed upon in resolutions 21/1 HRC (2012) and 22/1 HRC 2013 supporting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka and efforts made by member states calling on the Sri Lankan government to address grave violations of human rights and […]
Centre for Policy Alternatives on 14 December, 2013 The following text was sent as a letter addressing the Chairman, Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka today. It was signed by Sudarshana Gunawardana of Rights Now Collective for Democracy on behalf of 16 civil society organisations. This was faxed to the Human Rights Commission today (Friday 13.12.2013) and it will be sent to the […]
Centre for Policy Alternatives on 14 November, 2013 14 November 2013: Over 100 activists from 50 countries meeting in Johannesburg during International Civil Society Week are deeply concerned by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakshe’s statement at the inauguration of the Commonwealth Peoples Forum in Colombo: “While diversity of opinion is natural in civil society, it is important that one basic quality should underpin […]
Centre for Policy Alternatives on 8 November, 2013 Download the official PDF here, with logos and formatting. The plain text version can be read below. ### We the undersigned civil society organizations who made joint submissions to the Universal Periodic Review on Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council in November 2012, will not be participating in the November 2013 Peoples’ Forum […]
Centre for Policy Alternatives on 9 November, 2011 Download this press release in Tamil here, and in Sinhala here. English PDF can be downloaded here. ### 9th November 2011, Colombo, Sri Lanka: We the undersigned civil society organisations and individuals express grave concern over the press release issued by the Director General of the Department of Government Information on 5th November 2011, which […]