Amnesty International calls for transparency in IMF deal

Senior Director for Regional Human Rights Impact at Amnesty International Deprose Muchena called for transparency in implementing Sri Lanka’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

Muchena was addressing a forum in Colombo to mark the regional launch of Amnesty International’s Annual Report on the state of human rights in the world in 2022. 

“We know that there is a discussion around support from the IMF that has been discussed between your government as well as yourselves. Amnesty International calls for transparency on that deal so that everything that is being debated is within the public purview,” he said. Muchena stressed that these agreements should prioritize social protections and ensure that human rights are enhanced. "Because no aid mechanism or loan mechanism should diminish human rights," he said. 

Sri Lanka's economic crisis had a devastating impact on human rights, Amnesty International’s Annual Report found. The report which focused on responses to the deterioration of rights in the region said that South Asian countries seem to apply human rights law on a selective basis in a staggering show of blatant hypocrisy and double standards. 

Sri Lanka was one of the many countries in the region where the right to protest was curtailed, Amnesty International said. "From Cairo to Chicago to Colombo, we are seeing an attack on institutions by governments. We are seeing an attempt at scapegoating that is going on around the world in an attempt to distort the truth as we see it. Our Annual Report tries to present a picture of the world as we see it," he said.(Kalani Kumarasinghe)