Author: TELO Admin

10 United Nations Special Rapporteurs have written an official letter to President Ranil Wickremesinghe regarding the proposed Anti-Terrorism Bill and Rehabilitation Bill in Sri Lanka. The letter highlights their concerns regarding the potential impact of these bills on human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The Special Rapporteurs have raised several issues concerning the recently proposed ATA, published on March 17th, 2023. The ATA represents the latest development of the Sri Lankan Government’s legislative amendments in response to the challenges posed by the Prevention of Terrorism Act of 1979 (PTA) and the Rehabilitation Bill passed by the Sri Lankan Parliament on January 18th, 2023.

The Special Rapporteurs have called on the Sri Lankan government to employ definitions of terrorism that comply with international norms and to ensure precision and legal certainty, especially when this legislation may impact the rights of freedom of expression, opinion, association, and religion or belief.

The letter also calls for provisions and measures to prevent and prohibit arbitrary deprivation of liberty, the enforcement of measures to prevent torture and enforced disappearance, and adherence to non-derogable prohibitions. Additionally, overarching due process and fair trial guarantees are called for.

The letter was signed by the following Special Rapporteurs: Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Mathew Gillett, Aua Baldé, Irene Khan, Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, Mary Lawlor, Margaret Satterthwaite, Fernand de Varennes, Nazila Ghanea, and Alice Jill Edwards.

It is important to note that the revisions to the draft Rehabilitation Bill following a decision of the Supreme Court would not adhere in certain regards to fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution and would place many of its provisions in direct contradiction with the international human rights law obligations of the Sri Lankan Government.

A tussle has erupted in the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) camp after BasilRajapaksa was given a notable welcome at the May Day rally and his picture was shown on the main SLPP banner on stage alongside party leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Daily Mirror learns.

Senior SLPP sources said that strong objections were raised with General Secretary of the party Sagara Kariyawasam as to why Basil was promoted alongside Mahinda Rajapaksa, as many SLPPERS saw this as a move to dampen the party image.

Earlier, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s image was promoted on the SLPP banner along with Mahinda Rajapaksa but Gotabaya’s image was removed following his resignation from the presidency last year. Senior SLPP MPS raised objections why Basil was given so much prominence on the May Day stage and expressed disappointment over the move.

In recent weeks a campaign has been initiated by a few SLPP MPS to promote Basil Rajapaksa as the next SLPP Leader in the hope that he can make a re-entry into politics after the dual citizenship clause preventing such individuals from contesting future elections, is amended again. However, senior SLPP MPS who are against such a move alleged that with Basil loyalists promoting him as the party leader, this will only make the SLPP unpopular.

SLPP Coalition party members have also raised concerns within the party that some SLPP MPS have left the party due to Basil’s interference and if there is a change in leadership it will lead to a split in the party.

The National Delimitation Committee has received almost 400 proposals from various parties regarding its interim report, according to its Chairman, Mahinda Deshapriya. He added that his team is currently analyzing and reviewing the suggestions and will soon share their observations with the relevant stakeholders.

In April, the interim report of the National Delimitation Committee was submitted to the Prime Minister, and the deadline for political parties, civil society activists, and other interested groups to submit their proposals on the interim report concluded on April 27.

The National Delimitation Committee will consider the proposals submitted by the stakeholders in the final report preparation. The committee’s final report is expected to be submitted around the third week of May, as per Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya.

The National Delimitation Committee was formed in 2020 with the objective of reducing the number of local government members to around 4,000. This move is expected to streamline the administration and ensure more efficient governance at the local level.

An intelligence official from the Sri Lankan Navy has been summoned by the Mullaitivu court over threatening and obstructing a leading Tamil Journalist for covering an event organized by the relatives of those who were victims of enforced disappearance.

The ruling was delivered on World Media Freedom Day in which the Jaffna Press Club held a protest condemning ongoing attacks against freedom of expression, particularly in the north and east of the country.

The grieving mothers and relatives of those who disappeared after surrendering to the army at the end of the brutal civil war which came to a bloody end in May 2009, are still searching for them, braving their physical and mental fatigue.

At least 160 relatives have died in the continuous struggle launched over six years ago.

Journalist Shanmugam Thavaseelan, who is also the head of the press club in the war-ravaged Mullaitivu was covering a rally by the enforced disappeared persons families on 07 April 2019 from the District Secretariat to the Vadduvakal bridge in the district.

While journalists including him were covering the event, an unidentified person was filming media personnel and the protestors apart from threatening them. As the protestors attempted to stop the filming, Thavaseelan intervened and enquired who the said person was and why he was filming the protest, and its coverage on his mobile phone.

Instead of answering, the said person attempted to flee the place, the protestors chased and apprehended him upon which he admitted he was a naval officer.

Mullaitivu police did not arrive at the scene despite requests to come. Hence the person caught by the protestors and the public was taken to the Gotabaya Naval camp, where the officials confirmed he was a naval officer. Subsequently, he was handed over to the police who arrived at the camp and the protestors returned back.

Thereafter, the said Naval officer filed cases in the Mullaitivu police station under false pretexts against the journalists. Thavaseelan was subsequently summoned by the police, arrested, produced in court, and released on bail.

The case continued and when it came up for a hearing on May 04 at the Mullaitivu Magistrate’s Court, the petitioner did not turn up for the hearing. Mullaitivu Magistrate T. Saravanaraja adjourned the case after issuing summons to the petitioner – the naval intelligence officer to court on September 21.

Locals say the petition by the naval officer against journalist Thavaseelan is ‘frivolous and devoid of merit and nothing but an act of vendetta’.

Thavaseelan has been covering issues including state sponsored offences in the most militarised area of the island despite intimidation, death threats and assaults mainly by security forces.