Under President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s leadership, the Sri Lankan civil war reached a brutal conclusion on May 18, 2009, ending a 25-year-long conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist rebel group. Rooted in longstanding grievances, including discriminatory policies against Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority, the conflict saw the [...]
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Sri Lanka to establish independent commission for truth and reconciliation
The Sri Lankan government announced Friday the establishment an independent Commission for Truth, Unity and Reconciliation through an act introduced in Sri Lanka’s Parliament. The government stated that the commission is intended to “ensure an inclusive process in developing legislation that strengthens and safeguards national unity through truth, transitional justice, reconciliation, reparation and social cohesion.” The [...]
Crackdown on Tamil Commemoration: How Sri Lanka’s Use of Terrorism Law Sparks International Concern
Last week, Tamils in Sri Lanka and across the globe observed Maveerar Naal, an annual commemoration honoring fallen Tamil separatist soldiers of the Sri Lankan Civil War. In the aftermath of their observance, the Sri Lankan government conducted widespread arrests against Tamils who had participated. By November 30, the government had arrested at least 10 [...]
Resignation and flight of Sri Lanka judge sparks concern over nation’s judicial independence
The resignation letter of Sri Lankan Judge T. Saravanaraja emerged online Thursday, with media reports saying the judge fled the country. In the letter, addressed to the Secretary of Sri Lanka’s Judicial Services Commission, Judge Saravanaraja cited the “threat of my life and … lot of stress” as the reasons for his decision to step [...]
In the summer of 1983, ethnic violence swept the island nation of Sri Lanka. Known as Black July, the outbreak of communal violence between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority communities left thousands dead and hundreds missing. Four decades later, the legacy of the violence lives on, searing Sri Lanka‘s social and political landscape. This [...]
For years, Sri Lanka has occupied the international spotlight for one of its contentious laws—the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). The PTA was introduced in 1979 during the Sri Lankan Civil War using the emergency law provisions in Part II of the Public Security Ordinance. While similar laws exist in other nations, showing widespread acceptance [...]
Sri Lanka dispatch: the people’s protest has driven out a president, but now what?
Sri Lankan law students are reporting for JURIST on the situation in that country since mass protests and the physical invasion of the President’s House in Colombo by demonstrators forced the departure and resignation of Sri Lanka’s president and precipitated the imposition of emergency rule. Here, Naveera Perera of CfPS Law School reports from Colombo. [...]
Australia frees Sri Lankan family detained for 4 years in immigration debate
Australia’s new interim Home Affairs minister Friday announced that a Sri Lankan family detained by immigration authorities since 2018 will be granted new visas and be permitted to return to their home in the Australian town of Biloela. The Murugappan family was detained by the Australian Border Force after their asylum application was rejected and [...]
Rights group releases report detailing torture by Sri Lankan police and military
The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) on Wednesday released a report detailing incidents of torture by Sri Lankan police and military against political prisoners, just days ahead of a UN summit on human rights. The ITJP took statements from 15 ethnic Tamilians who were illegally detained and tortured since the government of former defense [...]
For hundreds of years, India has been a refugee haven. It has provided asylum to Jews who have been persecuted around the world, as well as to thousands of Sri Lankan-Tamils who have fled their homeland owing to the army-LTTE conflict. Apart from them, India has taken in Tibetans, Afghans, and migrants from various other [...]