Time for Sri Lanka to Chart a New Course on Human Rights
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged Sri Lanka to break from the past and chart a new course. Addressing the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council…
Peace and Conflict
Grave Implications of Gun Violence
Gun violence is a prevalent issue that has challenged many countries around the world including Sri Lanka. Guns, a weapon mainly used by armed forces to maintain the peace and security of…
Hema Shironi’s Embroidery Depicts Impact of Conflict
Hema Shironi’s solo exhibition at the Saskia Fernando Gallery delves into the complex and often painful histories of colonization, civil war, displacement and migration, all of which are intricately woven into the…
The Search for the Disappeared: Struggle, Recovery, Resolve
As news of a mass grave breaks on television in a household in the North, its residents, a family of the disappeared, try to find ways of coping with this information. A…
The Need for Humanitarianism is Greater Than Ever
Former High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, said there were no humanitarian solutions to humanitarian problems because what they required were political solutions. When states and governments fail their citizens, endangering their…
The JVP and Ethnic Relations: Walking a Tightrope to 2024 (Part 2)
In Part 1, we explored the JVP’s evolving rhetoric and policies regarding ethnic relations, highlighting a shift from a more homogenous vision of Sri Lankan identity towards recognizing and accommodating diversity. However,…
The JVP and Ethnic Relations: Walking a Tightrope to 2024 (Part 1)
As the 2024 elections approach in Sri Lanka, the National People’s Power (NPP) is positioning itself as a major contender. However, the JVP, the dominant party within the NPP, carries a legacy…
The Erasure of the Palestinian
During the final stages of the 30 year war in Sri Lanka there was a perception held by the West and its allies, and reiterated like a mantra ever since, that it…
Culture of Impunity Enables Grave Human Rights Violations to Continue Unchecked
Despite ongoing pressure from the international community, reforms to advance human rights and reconciliation, especially in institutional and security sectors, have not occurred. On the contrary, there are renewed threats to fundamental…
Long Standing and Emerging Conflicts Over Contested Religious Sites
The root causes of Sri Lanka’s 26 year civil war have yet to be addressed resulting in many consequences including exacerbating the issue of land conflicts and contestation related to places of…
Seventy Five Years of the Geneva Conventions
In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, Groundviews conducted an in depth interview with Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy, a distinguished human rights lawyer and former UN Under-Secretary-General. Dr. Coomaraswamy, renowned…
The Crisis in Bangladesh
After the shocking fall of Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh enters a new era with a non-partisan government headed by US-backed businessman and Nobel laureate, banker Muhammad Yunus. The Hasina regime fell in a…
Tensions Rise Over Rights Violations as Elections Approach
The regime has declared its defiance of a Supreme Court order, increasing tensions over violations of democratic and broader human rights, as Sri Lanka prepares for elections. Those in charge have repeatedly…
ICJ’s Verdict on Israel and its Consequences
The 83 page detailed and damning report by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands since 1967 must clear all remaining doubts on the illegality of that…
Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne and the Language Issue
Comrade Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne’s legacy deserves recognition through thoughtful analysis. Comrade Karunaratne’s political journey began within the Lanka Sam Samaja Party (LSSP). However, in 1972, he parted ways with the LSSP when…
