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US Rights report flags extrajudicial killings, media harassment in Sri Lanka
Colombo, August 13 (Daily Mirror) - The United States has raised serious concerns over alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka, citing extrajudicial killings, custodial deaths, intimidation of journalists, and restrictions on free expression, in its 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.
The report noted that the year followed Sri Lanka’s first voter-elected presidential administration since the 2022 “Aragalaya” protest movement, but said the government took “minimal steps” to hold officials accountable for abuses.
Among key findings were seven custodial deaths reported by the Human Rights Commission between January and August, incidents of alleged torture to extract confessions, and misuse of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to detain critics.
The US also highlighted media restrictions, including the harassment of Tamil journalists in the north and east, arrests under the ICCPR Act, and self-censorship driven by fears of government retaliation or loss of advertising revenue.
The report flagged poor labor rights enforcement, alleged coerced sterilization of marginalized women, and slow progress on wartime disappearance cases, including mass grave investigations. It also criticised the Online Safety Act, warning it could be used to stifle dissent.
Impunity remained “a significant problem,” the report concluded, with limited judicial action against security forces accused of abuses.
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