Sri Lanka Lawlessness

The politics of habeas corpus and the marginal role of the Sri Lankan courts under the 1978 constitution   The protection of the freedoms of individuals and the functioning of public institutions are therefore deeply linked. The public institutions, if they are managed for the achievement of various goals of the government, such as development, [...]

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“What the 1971 uprising in fact showed was a great discontent spread throughout the country, particularly among the younger generation. Large numbers of youths showed willingness to support a call for rebellion, even without any convincing theory or practical, organizational structure to convince them of the validity of the political thought and strategy of the [...]

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Need to understand deprivation of civil rights as a cause of poverty (Some thoughts based on experience in ) This is a summary of a paper submitted to GETTING THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS RIGHT – Towards the founding of an operational framework for the MDG-HR Nexus organized by The Danish Institute for Human Rights in [...]

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Sri Lanka will be celebrating its independence from the British Empire on February 4, 2011. The lamentation that independence has not meant a great deal to the people of Sri Lanka is commonly heard. However, the causes that created this situation have often not been examined. The very meaning of independence for citizens of any [...]

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“  The judiciary can only oppose the executive president at their own peril. Chief Justice Neville Samarakoon was the first learn this. The lessons he learned have been lost on others.” Sri Lanka’s rich and middle classes are coming to a rude awakening about the nature of the 1978 Constitution and the role of courts [...]

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” Without the respect for basic civil rights, the poor cannot have an environment within which they could participate in the processes of dealing with improvements of their own lives.” There have been a number of developments in the human rights and international justice fields over the past 5-10 years. However, some very serious problems [...]

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Prageeth Eknaligoda’s wife and a small group of faithful supporters met representatives of the United Nations yesterday on the occasion of the first anniversary of Prageeth’s disappearance. That the family had to meet representatives of the United Nations and not representatives of the Sri Lankan state is symbolic. It is after any hope has been [...]

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Two years have passed since one of the most infamous assassinations in Sri Lanka in recent times. The editor of the Sunday Leader and an internationally known journalist, Lasantha Wickrematunge, was killed in an attack that occurred in broad daylight. It is reported that the police have submitted around 50 reports at various court hearings [...]

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You have claimed in your publication that it was based on references from the internet. In my letter I have challenged that and referred to 844,000 references to my name found on Google alone which do not have any reference to any of the issues you have published. In the letter written by Mr. Wong [...]

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To all Honourable Ambassadors and Consul Generals Serving In Saudi Arabia I am making this appeal on behalf of the Asian Human Rights Commission to request your kind intervention to save the life of a young Sri Lankan girl, Rizana Nafeek who is facing beheading in Saudi Arabia. This young girl comes from a war [...]

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