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SRI LANKA: Reflections on the killings in the prisons and the impeachment of the Chief Justice 

Basil Fernando Humankind has at least a few millenniums of experience in keeping prisons. It is part of the unfortunate predicament of humanity that there is this need to have prisons. However, over t...

SRI LANKA: Shameful stifling of freedom of expression 

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article from the Sunday Times, Colombo, Sri Lanka, written by Kishali Pinto Jayawardena Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ——...

SRI LANKA: Make the Impeachment Boomerang on the Rajapaksas 

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article written by Tisaranee Gunasekara who is a Sri Lankan columnist based in Colombo Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ——̵...

SRI LANKA: BASL has failed to act positively 

The series of events which are naked attacks on the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in the recent past are well recorded.  These events culminated in the unprecedented action of the...

SRI LANKA: Special Task Force kills 11 prisoners and injures many others 

Yesterday (9th of October), at least 11 prisoners were gunned down and around 35 were injured by the STF. The shooting was carried out when the STF entered the Welikada prison for some inspections. (P...

SRI LANKA: How does the Attorney General file indictments and how do Members of Parliament sign impeachment petitions? 

Basil Fernando The Chief Justice (CJ) has refuted all allegations made against her contained in the much publicized impeachment motion filed in parliament. (File Photo of the Chief Justice, Mrs. Shira...

SRI LANKA: Like the Titanic Sri Lanka democracy sunk 

A comparison with the Titanic is most appropriate. Titanic at the time was thought of as a wonder ship that could never sink. It was not expected ever to perish. Sri Lanka also was considered a wonder...

SRI LANKA: Judging a judge — Politics and pitfalls in the process 

For the third time in 30 years, Members of Parliament have launched impeachment proceedings against a Chief Justice of Sri Lanka setting the stage for a crucial struggle for the preservation of indepe...

SRI LANKA: Why is Sri Lanka abandoning a court centered, law based system of justice? 

A reflection on the 16th murder in Kahawatte, gruesome violence in Galle and the petition for impeachment The 16th murder of a woman took place at Kahawatte last week. The woman is said to be 65 years...

SRI LANKA: Hell Hath No Fury…. 

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article written by Tisaranee Gunasekara who is a Sri Lankan columnist based in Colombo Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ——...

SRI LANKA: The final nail in the coffin of the judiciary 

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article from the Sunday Times, Colombo, Sri Lanka, written by Kishali Pinto Jayawardena Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ——...

SRI LANKA: The banality of the impeachment 

Under the present circumstances and under the 1978 constitution, when the president does not want the Chief Justice, the president just tells them to get out and go home. The way he does it is called ...

SRI LANKA: Impeachment of CJ – An Unconstitutional Witch-hunt 

The Rajapaksha Regime, through its parliamentarians, handed over an impeachment motion to the Speaker, the elder brother of the President Rajapaksha against the first woman Chief Justice of the countr...

SRI LANKA: The attack on the judiciary is a logical extension of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution 

The 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which ended all the debates and discussions on the 17th Amendment, brought an end to all independent public institutions in Sri Lanka. From that point on, only ...

SRI LANKA: New Sri Lanka report on the Judiciary, the Attorney General and State Immunities 

The Sri Lankan government must immediately cease its assault on the independence of the judiciary, the International Commission of Jurists said in a new report released today. The 158-page report, Aut...

SRI LANKA: A victim of police torture shares his ordeal on YouTube 

(Hong Kong, November 1, 2012) Janasansadaya has issued a YouTube presentation on the case of torture of Chaminda Sampath by the Bandaragama police. Chaminda says, “I was taken to the police stat...

SRI LANKA: The impeachment of the Chief Justice is a prelude to greater militarisation

After a series of attacks on the judiciary the Mahinda Rajapaksa government is now reported to be engaged in preparing papers for the impeachment of the Chief Justice (CJ). While the accusation agains...

SRI LANKA: International Bar Association condemns attacks on judiciary 

‘An independent judiciary functions as a critical institutional mechanism providing a check and balance on the executive and legislative branches of a democratic society. The independence of thi...

SRI LANKA: Do legislators have the right to be silly in parliament?

In an earlier article we asked the question, “Can the legislature declare all automobiles to be rickshaws?” We must simplify the question by asking whether legislators have the right to be...

SRI LANKA: AHRC and RCT collaboration

Appreciation on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the RCT (Photo Courtesy: Janasansadaya) On the occasion of the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims (RCT) celebrating its 30th...