A 16-year-old Grade 10 student from a popular school in Wennappuwa has tragically passed away after being hospitalized for over three months. She died on November 13 while receiving treatment at the Ragama Teaching Hospital. According to the post-mortem examination, the cause of death was brain bleeding caused by an alleged assault by two of […]
Grade 10 Student Dies After Alleged Assault by Teachers in Wennappuwa Read More »
Child abuse remains a critical concern in Sri Lanka, as evidenced by the findings of PEaCE/ECPAT Sri Lanka’s media monitoring report for August 2024. This analysis underscores the urgent need for collective action to safeguard children and address the pervasive issue of violence against them. Overview of Reported Cases In August 2024, 94 incidents of
A Comprehensive Review of Violence Against Children in Sri Lanka: August 2024 Read More »
In a tragic case dating back to April 2012, Nimal Chandrasiri, a fisherman from Thalpitiya, Wadduwa, faced a brutal fate while in police custody. Arrested under suspicious circumstances, he was found in severe pain in the Wadduwa police cell. Despite pleas from his family for medical help, police officers dismissed his agony as mere pretense.
Justice Delayed for Nimal Chandrasiri: A Decade-Long Battle for Accountability Read More »
The Right to Life Human Rights Centre recently organized a two-day workshop called “Bolstering Advocacy Capacities of Human Rights Defenders.” The workshop aimed to strengthen the skills of individuals who work to protect human rights in Sri Lanka. Mr. Philip Dissanayake, the Executive Director of the Right to Life Human Rights Centre, spoke about the
Empowering Voices: Strengthening Human Rights Advocacy in Sri Lanka Read More »
The “Essential Skills for Young Lawyers” workshop, organized by Right to Life, successfully concluded today ( 2nd November) at Hotel Janaki in Narahenpita. The event, attended by aspiring legal practitioners, featured expert-led sessions focused on the foundations of criminal defense, writ jurisdiction, fundamental rights actions, and the critical role of public interest litigation (PIL)
Colombo High Court Judge Adithya Patabendige ordered a five-year suspension of an attorney’s legal license following an investigation prompted by a complaint filed by the judge himself. According to the complaint, the attorney, who had been appointed by the government to represent a defendant in a criminal case before the Colombo High Court, failed to
Attorney’s Legal License Suspended for Five Years Read More »
By Basil Fernando As Sri Lanka commemorates the 30th anniversary of its ratification of the UN Convention Against Torture (CAT), the time has come to reflect deeply on both the progress made and the persistent gaps that hinder the full realization of this vital human rights treaty. Though Sri Lanka has shown some legislative advancement
The Attorney General has withdrawn the case concerning the deaths of 11 inmates at Mahara Prison during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a detailed investigation, it was concluded that the Special Task Force (STF) officers acted lawfully to safeguard both officers and inmates. The investigation determined that the officers did not exceed their legal rights to
A media organization has urged the government to enforce court rulings issued against police officers involved in the torture of suspects. In a letter addressed to the Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security, Ravi Seneviratne, the Young Journalists’ Association highlighted the failure to implement multiple Supreme Court and Human Rights Commission rulings over the
Call for Implementation of Court Rulings on Police Brutality and Torture Read More »
A two-day workshop series for district coordinators of the Right to Life Human Rights Center was held on September 29-30, 2024 in Negombo. Attorney Danushka Silva, Attorney Dulan Dasanayake participated as resource persons for the workshop. The first day of this workshop was dedicated to raising awareness about the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Accordingly, a
Two-Day Workshop on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism Held in Negombo Read More »
A public dialogue titled “Countering Terrorism while Safeguarding Social Security and Human Rights” was held on September 26, 2024, at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo. The event featured Professor Rohan Samarajeeva, journalist Ajith Perakum Jayasinghe, and lawyers Dulan Dassanayake and Danushka Silva as resource persons. During the event, two significant publications
Do you remember the time when violence erupted in our country during the peak of the economic crisis in 2022, with houses and vehicles set ablaze and even murders taking place? Many predicted that the worsening economic crisis would lead to an increase in poverty, which in turn could fuel violence, chaos, and even terrorism.
Aswesuma, Poverty, and Terrorism Read More »
