Sri Lanka - Protect the Protest

Written by Jerry Allen, Country Coordinator for Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard on Protect the Protest during her visit to Sri Lanka in May 2024:

“A slew of new legislations such as the Online Security Act and the proposed NGO law are worrying evidence of the dangers currently confronting Sri Lanka’s vibrant civil society.

“We are further concerned about the crackdown on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.  These are often carried out under multiple accusations without formal charge or evidence and has led to lives being lived in limbo. This must end.

“This is a significant year for Sri Lanka, marking 15 years since the end of the three-decade long internal armed conflict that left tens of thousands of people injured, dead, displaced, or forcibly disappeared. But it is not just successive governments that have failed the victims and the people of Sri Lanka. All those in positions of leadership, from elected officials to opposition leaders, the religious establishment and the national media, have failed to hold the line on the fight against impunity.”

Over 60,000 people disappeared during the conflict.  The families of the disappeared have been protesting for many years to demand investigations.  Their peaceful protests are always stopped. 

A new campaign on the Families of the Disappeared coming soon.