Conspiracy, What Conspiracy?
Former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has released a book entitled “The Conspiracy to oust me from Presidency”. Also on the cover are the words “how internationally sponsored regime change made a mockery of…
Author: Sunanda Deshapriya
Facing a Murderous Military, Myanmar’s Peaceful Protesters Beg for International Help
I started the day by calling my colleagues and friends to see where and when we are going to gather. We need to check every morning if there are any unknown people…
The Bitter Truth About the President’s Address to the Nation
You take a step back as the ball bounces at breakneck speed and play defence. It is too early to lose your wicket, so one better learn the defence. This is what…
Sri Lanka: 10 Political mistakes that shouldn’t have been committed during the pandemic
President Rajapaksa dissolved the Parliament on 2nd March 2020– six months before the due date, amidst the growing danger of COVID-19 pandemic. By this time, the uncertainty relating to the possibility of…
The Emerging Political Vacuum in Sri Lanka: Is JVP the Answer?
If there is one question that troubles many rights activists in Sri Lanka today, it is the current political instability within the coalition Government led by Ranil Wickremesinghe and Maithripala Sirisena government…
Media Freedom: Perspective from Jaffna
Photograph by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai We call him Prem. The editor of the largest selling Jaffna daily, Thevanayagam Premanath, is sitting at a large table with his usual smile. The wall behind him…
Ongoing UNHRC session: What’s in store for Sri Lanka?
The term ‘painfully slow progress’ has become a standard descriptor for Sri Lanka’s overall pace of implementation of UNHRC resolution A/HRC/30/1 in Geneva. It has been two years since Sri Lanka cosponsored…
Rajapaksa onslaught and options for Sirisena – Ranil government
Photography via It was some half a century ago that we marched crying the slogan “We are going to – Galle Face; Come with us to – Galle Face.” My elder brother…
A letter to President Rajapakse from Nelson Mandela
Dear Mahinda Rajapakse, At the outset , I would like to tell you one thing. I regret very much that we have never met and not had the opportunity to share our…
The Fashion Bug case: A turning point for Muslim rights in Sri Lanka
The judicial case related to the violent attack on Muslim owned Fashion Bug head office and warehouse in Pepiliyana, 10 km away from Colombo, is destined to be a turning point in Muslim…
Interview with Nimalka Fernando: The UN HRC resolution and beyond
Nimalka, now we’ve seen that the council voted for the resolution on Sri Lanka. What is your initial impression? It’s a serious voting pattern. Because if you look at the resolution, the…
“Building the base”: An interview with Sunila Abeysekara about post-war Sri Lanka
Sunila, how do you look at Sri Lanka today? There are different interpretations ranging from a constitutional dictatorship to clan- run ‘deep state’? And you have decades of human rights activism behind…
Black January: Ceaseless media suppression in Sri Lanka, with total impunity
Image via RNW The month of January is coming to an end and yet again it has been filled with a number of major attacks on media freedom in Sri Lanka. For…
Destiny of a Weerawansa referendum (Abolishing the 13th Amendment)
Photo courtesy Business Today Minister Wimal Weerawansa, nicknamed as the ‘, during the 2010 presidential election campaign, came up with a rather serious proposal some two months back: To have a referendum…
Borella turned into Pudumathalan and the re-appearance of Niemöller
Photo courtesy CNN The photos of prisoners, like thugs, holding a few machine guns on the roof of Welikada Prison, challenging a government which is capable of terrorizing an entire country, what…