The Subaltern in Search of Speech
Professor Gayatri Spivak Chakravarti, I would like to thank you, Mr. Mawng Zarni and his enthusiasm for bringing me here today to discuss one of the most important issues of our lifetime….
Transitional Justice
Why the Office on Missing Persons Must Think Outside the Box
One of the greatest challenges facing Sri Lanka today is to restore its image in the realm of human rights. There’s not a day that goes by without the media highlighting war…
One Year in Keppapilavu
The gates of the 59 Division Mullaitivu Security Forces Headquarters dominate the view 10 kilometres inwards from the Nandikadal lagoon and the Eastern coast. The protest tent a few metres away appears…
366 days – Roadside Protests in Kilinochchi
366 days (as of 20th Feb) is a long time to be at a 24 hour roadside protest. That’s how long Tamil families of disappeared in Kilinochchi have been there. In the…
In Their Absence: Families of the Disappeared Share Treasured Keepsakes
“Do you have anything that reminds you of your son/daughter/husband/grandchildren? Something that they used?” Mother/Father/Wife/Sister/Grandmother: “I have, son. I kept it safely. I washed my son’s blood-stained shirt, and kept it with…
Beyond Box-Ticking: Unpacking Pablo de Greiff’s Statement on Sri Lanka
November 6 marks the deadline for candidate applications for the Office of Missing Persons (OMP). The signing of the Office of Missing Persons gazette drew praise from the UN, with United Nations Secretary-General António…
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…
The Gloves Are Off: Reactions to Ben Emmerson’s Statement on Torture, Counterterrorism
On July 14, 2017 the Special Rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism, Ben Emmerson released a statement at the end of his visit to Sri Lanka, where he met with detainees, activists,…
Full Statement by Ben Emmerson, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, at the conclusion of his official visit
Preliminary findings of the visit to Sri Lanka Colombo (14 July 2017), The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Mr. Ben…
Victory over Remembrance: A day of division
On May 18, 2009, Sri Lanka ended a decade long civil war. The day after, May 19, has traditionally been celebrated as “Victory Day” and marked with military parades. That is, until…
Sorting Bad Apples: Is Lustration the Answer to Sri Lanka’s Military Impunity?
Suspects with military links feature in a number of ongoing investigations into crimes and human rights violations committed in Sri Lanka’s post-war period. The Criminal Investigation Department’s report in Lasantha Wickramatunga’s murder…
A Thousand Unanswered Questions: The ongoing plight of families of the disappeared
The photographs are framed in a variety of ways; gilt-edged, glossy black wood, or laminated. Creased from being held and passed around. Whatever the frame, they are cradled with equal tenderness. These…
Mullikulam – Renewed struggle to regain Navy occupied village
reminisces 88-year-old village elder from Mullikulam, M. Francis Vaz, who hasn’t been home since 2007. On the 8th of September, 2007 the entire village of Mullikulam was unceremoniously evacuated by the Military…
A Question of Political Will: Unpacking de Silva’s Comments on Foreign Judges
Recently, compiled a timeline of all the statements made by the Government in terms of the participation of foreign judges in a judicial mechanism. The timeline shows that over the past two…
UPDATED: Flip-flopping on Accountability – A Timeline
Sri Lanka recently co-sponsored a resolution at the 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council, allowing Sri Lanka two more years to implement the recommendations made in Resolution 30/1 of 2015….