The Battle Between The Savage Mentality Of Regimes And Human Rights

Protesters in Sri Lanka have often received the wrath of governments because regimes in this island hate dissent voiced by aggrieved parties 

The world is celebrating 75 years of human rights at this point of time, and its timely to look back and reflect on how Sri Lanka has fared in a subject which promises a better and righteous society. 

From the time Sri Lanka received independence from the British, many avenues were opened for the downtrodden masses to educate themselves and hold high positions in society and even in government establishments. Before that such positions and the best perks in society were enjoyed by members of the elite society with class playing a major role in deciding how far an individual would climb the ladder of progress as a citizen in this sun-kissed island. 
The people of this nation probably heaved a sigh of relief when the Convention for Human Rights was established on December 12, 1948. Till then the masses of this nation were driven into slavery by the ‘white men’ who took decisions about what this country grew, exported and the preferred language people spoke. Even after the British left we’ve seen a touch of the English way of ruling surface in the suppressive governments that assumed power; starting from the time the first Executive President of this country held office. 
This nation went through the worst periods of losing human lives due to suppressive governments that didn’t tolerate dissent which was between 1989 and 2015. From the first and second JVP insurgencies to the civil war that killed or displaced people in their thousands the human rights of the citizens of this nation have been at stake. Even when the war concluded in 2009 there were battered and exhausted citizens of this country who were searching for truths about their lost loved ones, but pleas, protests and petitions have not produced the desired justice to victims. Then we saw the robbing off the government’s coffers by white collared thieves which contributed immensely to the crashing of the economy.
It’s in such a background that we saw the landmark judgement given by the Supreme Court on November 14, 2023 where three members of the Rajapakse family were named as guilty parties alongside six other individuals who through their decision making - while serving the regime - contributed to the downfall of the island’s economy. This judgement was given following multiple petitions signed by academic and civil rights activists. 

As a result of the crashing of the economy there is food insecurity in the country and providing funds to educate children has also become an obstacle from the perspective of parents. This questionable decision making by lawmakers has led to the violation of human rights from the perspective of denying basic needs of the people.  This judgement could go down in the history of the island as the most important victory associated with human rights after the case where the court ordered several individuals to pay compensation to victims of the Easter bomb blast. Other than that there has been no major progress or significant wins in human rights cases filed by aggrieved parties in this country. 
The list of ferocious activities of successive governments in recent times include the high-profile murders of journalist Lasantha Wickremethunge, ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen, lawmaker Joseph Pararajasingham, the killings of 17 workers of Action Against Hunger and the shooting incidents at Rathupaswala, where at least three people were gunned down. The people of Rathupaswala were demanding one of the basic human rights of people; access to clean water which comes under the category of food. It’s a long time since journalist/cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda went missing and no government has bothered to investigate his disappearance, which critics believe is politically motivated.  

This little island is not an encouraging place to engage in rights activities. This is largely because of the threat people have of being abducted or arrested. The threat to human rights here in the island is not smaller to the challenges we see in countries like Vietnam and The Philippines; a land where an authoritarian regime uses a method called red–tagging to arrest or detain rights activists and silence voices of dissent. In Vietnam its authoritarian government ‘uses the law selectively to target human rights defenders, climate activists and protectors of the environment’. People in Vietnam and rights activists affirm that ‘the civil society should be given space to voice their grievances which would then make Vietnam a better society’. 
Going back in the pages of time to year 2008, Sri Lanka was named as the worst offender of human rights by the ‘South Asia Human Rights Index’. This island has a history of rights activists being abducted, tortured or killed. A few individuals who lost their lives as a result of their commitment to human rights activities are Fr. George Jeyaragasingham, Fr. Mary Bastian, Fr. M.X. Karunarathnam and medical student and activist Padmasiri Thirimawithana. When one considers such a horrendous past in this nation, it is enlightening to note that two individuals in the likes of the late Sunila Abeysekera and Sri Lankan human rights activist Freddy Gamage (recognised for his long struggle carried out on behalf of the independence of East-Timor) have been honoured for their work and contributions to promote human rights. Abeysekera, having a natural death in a country where activists undergo physical abuse or even death, and Gamage, relentlessly pursuing his rights activities in the most fearless manner, merit mention here.  

At a time when there are concerns about how the regime deals with anti-government protests and much talk about the proposed Anti-Terrorism Bill, the government has merely made plans to set up an Independent Commission for Truth, Unity and Reconciliation to establish the truth regarding post-conflict grievances of Sri Lankan citizens, facilitate reconciliation, reparation and sustainable peace. Will these efforts be genuine enough to deliver justice to people and sooth healing wounds? 
Coming back to the milestone year for human rights in the world, this government must before anything else, enhance its tolerance to accept voices of dissent and also realise that all people who air different views are not necessarily ganging up to overthrow the government.