There was continued impunity for violations committed during the internal armed conflict, and the government failed to uphold commitments to the UN Human Rights Council around justice and reconciliation. As such, justice stalled and impunity prevailed, including in cases of killings and other...

Amnesty International wrote to the Minister of Justice with concerns regarding the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act. Earlier in May, the Ministry of Justice sought public comments and proposals on the bill that was issued on the gazette on 22 March 2023.

Honourable Committee members, We thank you for this opportunity. Amnesty International would like to highlight three main concerns raised in our written submission to the Committee about Sri Lanka’s compliance with the Covenant, namely: the crackdown on protests including the police’s use of...

Amnesty International would like to bring to your attention a recent report we published on the human rights impacts of Sri Lanka’s economic crisis in advance of the adoption of the List of Issues at the 86th session by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Sri Lanka:...

In this submission Amnesty International sets out its concerns in relation to issues related to the constitutional framework, non-discrimination and equality between men and women, states of emergency and counter-terrorism measures, accountability for serious human rights violations and the right...

Harm Reduction International, the International Drug Policy Consortium, and Amnesty International urge Members of Parliament in Sri Lanka to take a strong stance against the Bureau of Rehabilitation Bill, which the government is scheduled to present again with amendments in Parliament this...

The Sri Lankan government should immediately end the arbitrary detention of Wasantha Mudalige, a student activist who was arrested on August 18, 2022, 7 human rights organizations said today. Since August 21, Mudalige, 29, has been held on orders signed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe under the...

This document contains suggested recommendations to be made to the states under review at the 42nd session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in January/February 2023. The countries covered are Czech Republic, Argentina, Gabon, Ghana, Peru, Guatemala, Benin, Republic of Korea, Switzerland,...

The ongoing economic crisis has had a devastating impact on people in Sri Lanka. This report highlights the challenges people in Sri Lanka are facing in accessing their rights to health and food, and some of the limitations of existing social security programmes in the country. It focusses on the...

Calling on all permanent representatives of member and observer states of the United Nations Human Rights Council to adopt a strong resolution on human rights in Sri Lanka: As you prepare for the 51st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) we, as a group of four international...

Amnesty International urges the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), when it meets for its 51st session (12 September – 7 October 2022), to strengthen the existing Sri Lanka accountability project of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), that was established...

Since February 2022, Sri Lankans have taken to the street to call for the resignations of then President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, and for accountability for corruption, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and police misuse of force, amongst other...

We, the undersigned organizations, condemn the Sri Lankan authorities’ violent crackdown and increasing reprisals against peaceful protesters in Sri Lanka. This includes arrests, intimidation and the brutal attack on the protest camp in Colombo on 22 July 2022. The Sri Lankan authorities must...