Civic Freedom Remains Repressed Despite Election Promises

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on 09/19/2025

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Photo courtesy of Daily Mirror

The CIVICUS Monitor, a civil society platform tracking civic space around the world, has documented various violations of civic freedoms in Sri Lanka, including the targeting of human rights defenders, activists and journalists, efforts to control civil society, protests restrictions and the failure to support efforts to ensure accountability for violations during Sri Lanka’s 1983-2009 civil war, a media release from the organization said.

It called on the government to halt the continued harassment of activists and journalists and crackdown on protests. One year since President Anura Kumara Dissanayake came to power, there has been a failure to reform restrictive laws and to address accountability for past crimes, it pointed out.

These civic space violations are inconsistent with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Sri Lanka ratified in 1980. The ICCPR imposes international obligations on the state to respect and protect civic freedoms, including freedoms of association, expression and peaceful assembly. These rights are also enshrined in Sri Lanka’s constitution.

During his campaign, Dissanayake made pledges in the NPP manifesto to address several longstanding human rights issues, promising to abolish all oppressive laws, ensure civil rights for people in all parts of Sri Lanka, repeal the draconian 1978 Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), remove abusive provisions of the Online Safety Act (OSA) and establish an independent Directorate of Public Prosecutions separate from the attorney general’s office. The NPP has also committed to dismantling the executive presidency that centralises excessive power in one individual, undermining democracy and parliamentary governance, the media release pointed out.

The state of civic space in Sri Lanka is rated as repressed by the CIVICUS Monitor. Over the last year, the CIVICUS Monitor has documented increasing regulations and onerous bureaucratic requirements for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to register and operate as a result of the militarisation of civilian administrative functions. Further, CSOs are closely monitored by intelligence services, particularly in the north and east where the civil war occurred.

Human rights defenders and activists continue to face intimidation and harassment, while journalists critical of the government, particularly those based in the north and on the east coast, are subjected to ongoing surveillance, harassment and intimidation by the police and military. There have also been restrictions and arrests of protesters.

“For a year now, the Dissanayake government has continued a troubling legacy of repression, erecting barriers to civil society, harassing those who defend human rights, and silencing critical voices in the media. This crackdown on freedoms must stop. The government must act now to protect the rights of activists and journalists and allow them to work without fear, interference, or retaliation,” said Josef Benedict, Asia researcher for CIVICUS.

CIVICUS is also alarmed by the failure to repeal or review restrictive laws to bring them in line with international law and standards. The notorious PTA has been used to target perceived opponents and minority communities without credible evidence, despite repeated pledges to end the practice. The OSA that is inconsistent with international human rights standards and has sparked fears among rights groups remains in force. This runs contrary to the promises made by the NPP during the presidential elections to abolish the act altogether.

The Dissanayake government has also failed to launch any credible accountability process into the crimes committed during the civil war despite overwhelming evidence gathered by the UN and human rights groups. Meanwhile, Tamil activists and victim communities continue to face repression and other violations for demanding justice and accountability, the media release said.

“The authorities must revise or repeal all laws to ensure they comply with the government’s commitment to civic freedoms under the ICCPR. It must also ensure accountability for crimes during the civil war and order all agencies to immediately end all forms of reprisals against representatives of civil society, human rights defenders, journalists, victims and their families, mobilising for justice and accountability.” added Benedict.