Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
Sri Lanka: Amnesty International’s Secretary General Concludes Five-Day Visit
Amnesty International’s Secretary General concluded a five-day visit to Sri Lanka in which she met with officials and society, stakeholders to discuss pressing human rights issues.
May 21, 2024
Press Release
Sri Lanka: Fifteen Years After the End of the War, Victims Still Await Justice at Mullivaikkal
Today’s anniversary is a grim reminder of the collective failure of the Sri Lankan authorities and the international community to deliver justice to the victims of Sri Lanka’s internal armed conflict.
May 20, 2024
Press Release
Sri Lanka: Unlawful Use of Weapons During Policing of Protests
Despite widespread human rights violations by law enforcement agencies and security forces, not a single police officer or member of the army has been prosecuted or convicted for the unlawful use of force.
April 10, 2024
Report
‘Ready to Suppress Any Protest’: Sri Lanka – Unlawful Use of Weapons During Protests
Amnesty International's research shows a pattern in the unlawful use of tear gas, water cannons and batons by Sri Lankan law enforcement authorities.
April 10, 2024
Press Release
Sri Lanka: Online Safety Act Major Blow to Freedom of Expression
Amnesty International states that the passing of the Online Safety Act is a major blow to human rights in Sri Lanka.
January 24, 2024
Press Release
Global: Misuse of Tear Gas Killing and Injuring Protesters Worldwide – Updated Interactive Website
The horrific misuse of tear gas by security forces during brutal crackdowns on protests in Iran, Peru and Sri Lanka last year are among many new incidents detailed in Amnesty International’s updated Tear Gas: An Investigation.
May 29, 2023
Press Release
Widespread Protests in Sri Lanka Highlight Unified Opposition to Anti-Terrorism Act
“The ATA poses an urgent threat to human rights in Sri Lanka. If enacted, the law could be used to levy charges of terrorism against people simply for exercising their human right to protest peacefully."
May 2, 2023
Press Release
Sri Lanka: Biden Must Respond to Dangerous Anti-Terrorism Act
“The draft Anti-Terrorism Act categorically fails on every human rights benchmark. If the Biden administration values the rights of the Sri Lankan people, they need to send a clear message to President Ranil Wickremesinghe that this law must be overhauled entirely or scrapped altogether.”
April 14, 2023
Update
Written Testimony on Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka for Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
On December 8, 2021, Amnesty International USA’s Asia Advocacy Director Carolyn Nash testified to the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing on “Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka”. Her testimony details the worsening human rights situation in Sri Lanka over the past two years and emphasizes the current government's refusal to provide accountability, making international pressure and US leadership critical. Statement of Carolyn Nash Asia Advocacy Director Amnesty International USA Thank you to Representative Ross, Co-Chairs McGovern and Smith, and members of the Commission for the opportunity to speak with you today. The human rights…
December 23, 2021
Press Release
Minister in Sri Lanka Accused of Holding Tamil Prisoners at Gunpoint Must Face Investigation
Responding to reports that Sri Lanka’s State Minister for Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation, Lohan Ratwatte, forcibly entered a state prison in Anuradhapura on 12 September and held Tamil prison inmates incarcerated under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) at gunpoint and threatened to kill them, Yamini Mishra, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director said: “These dumbfounding reports go to show that our ongoing concerns regarding Sri Lanka’s treatment of prisoners, especially the authorities’ torture and other inhumane and degrading treatment of PTA detainees are all too valid. They also demonstrate the level of impunity for criminal behavior that is indulged at…
September 15, 2021
Press Release
As COVID-19 spreads in South Asia, fears rise for people at higher risk
As cases of COVID-19 escalate in South Asia, one of the world’s poorest and most populous regions, Amnesty International calls on the authorities there to put human rights at the heart of their responses and intensify efforts to protect marginalized and vulnerable groups at higher risk, including daily wage earners, people displaced by conflict, health workers and prisoners. The COVID-19 pandemic is poised to break into thousands of cases in South Asia as more governments across the region this week imposed strict lockdowns and curfews amid fears the virus will strike densely populated areas, overwhelming woefully inadequate healthcare facilities and…
March 26, 2020
Press Release
Ban on face-veil risks stigmatizing Muslim women in Sri Lanka
Responding to Sri Lanka’s emergency regulations imposing a ban on clothing that conceals the face, Amnesty International’s Deputy South Asia Director, Dinushika Dissanayake, said: “At a time when many Muslims in Sri Lanka fear a backlash, imposing a ban that effectively targets women wearing a face veil for religious reasons risks stigmatizing them. They will be forced out of public spaces to stay at home and will be unable to work, study or access basic services. The ban violates their rights to non-discrimination, freedom of expression and religion. “Where there are legitimate security concerns, the authorities can carry out identity checks when…
April 30, 2019