Adoption of UNHRC’s UPR Report on Sri Lanka Withdraw charges against civil activists

and discharge court cases under PTA /ICCPR– Journalist calls on GOSL

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

A local journalist yesterday called on the Government of  Sri Lanka to withdraw charges against civil activists charged under the  PTA and discharge court cases on protest activists charged under the  ICCPR at the Universal Periodic Review of the United Nation’s 59th  Session. 

 
The journalist called on the Government of Sri Lanka to  withdraw charges against activist and lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah charged  under the PTA, to discharge activist and comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya  facing several court cases including under the ICCPR Act and to  discharge protesters facing court cases related to protests under  various laws.   

Journalist Tharindu Jayawardena made these remarks  delivering his oral statements at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on  Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Japan at the 29th Meeting of the 53rd Regular  Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.   

Jayawardena also called on to conduct impartial  investigations and prosecutions in relation to violations committed by  police and armed forces in the context of protests and repeal all  draconian legislation used to criminalize activists.   

His oral submissions are as follows; “Mr. President, the  Centre for Society and Religion, Asia Legal Resource Centre and CIVICUS  welcome the government of Sri Lanka’s engagement with the UPR process.     
Since its last review, Sri Lanka did not implement any of  the nine recommendations related to civic space. We note that Sri Lanka  accepted 24 of the 31 recommendations on civic space it received during  this cycle including ensuring a safe environment for civil society,  including human rights defenders and journalists and refrain from  imposing undue limitations on NGOs.   

Despite these commitments, space for civil society has  continued to come under attack in recent years. We have documented  arbitrary arrests, detention, harassment and surveillance of activists  and journalists and the misuse of the PTA and ICCPR Act and other laws  to silence freedom of expression and assembly.   

We also documented restrictions on protests and harassment  and intimidation of protesters, including against families of disappeared  persons in the North and East - and the use of excessive force and  prosecution of protesters following the economic crisis. We are  concerned the imminent “NGO law” will curtail freedom of association and  legalize government interference in civil society,” Jayawardena  concluded.