Human rights in Sri Lanka

Human rights in Sri Lanka provides for Fundamental rights. The constitution states that every person is entitled to freedom thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice. And, that every person is equal before the law.[1]

Major human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch,[1] as well as the United States Department of State[2] and the European Union,[3] have expressed concern about the state of human rights in Sri Lanka. British rule in Ceylon,[4] the government of Sri Lanka and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as well as various other paramilitaries and marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) rebels are accused of violating human rights.[5] Although Sri Lanka has not officially practiced the death penalty since 1976,[6] there are well-documented cases of state-sponsored 'disappearances' and murders.[7][8]

Rights of LGBT

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Sri Lanka has not yet implemented anti-discrimination laws.[9] It has not recognized transgender people, making it hard for them to get government cards and discrimination is also rampant.[10][11]

Article 365 of the Sri Lankan Penal Code, which criminalizes same-sex sexual acts remains on the books, though reports have variously referred to it as rarely used[12] However, human rights organizations have reported that police and government workers used the threat of arrest to assault, harass, and sexually and monetarily extort LGBTI individuals.[13][14] Vigilante attacks, vigilante executions, torture, forced anal examinations,[15][16] and beatings are also tolerated.

References

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  1. ↑ THE CONSTITUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA CHAPTER III, 10
  2. ↑ Sri Lanka
  3. ↑ "The EU's relations with Sri Lanka – Overview". Archived from the original on September 10, 2007.
  4. ↑ Keerthisinghe, Lakshman I. (2013). "The British duplicity in protecting human rights in Sri Lanka". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  5. ↑ 2006 Annual Report for Sri Lanka, Amnesty International USA, archived from the original on 2008-11-29, retrieved 2009-02-12
  6. ↑ "Death penalty in Sri Lanka". Ste's Site. Archived from the original on February 22, 2006.
  7. ↑ Recurring Nightmare: State Responsibility for "Disappearances" and Abductions in Sri Lanka
  8. ↑ "Sri Lanka – Out of the Silence". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "LGBT community yearns for acceptance by society". Sunday Observer. 2018-06-23. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  10. ↑ ""All Five Fingers Are Not the Same": Discrimination on Grounds of Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation in Sri Lanka". Human Rights Watch. August 15, 2016. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  11. ↑ Malalagama, A. S. (December 2017). "The Shifting Landscape of Gender Identity and the Situation in Sri Lanka". Sri Lanka Journal of Sexual Health and HIV Medicine. 3: 45. doi:10.4038/joshhm.v3i0.63.
  12. ↑ "Road to reform- LGBTIQ rights in Sri Lanka". themorning.lk. 16 September 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  13. ↑ "Custom report Excerpts: Sri Lanka". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Responses to Information Requests: LKA103948.E" (PDF). Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. January 13, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 June 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Sri Lanka: Forced Anal Exams in Homosexuality Prosecutions". Human Rights Watch. 2020-10-20. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  16. ↑ Home Office; Country Policy and Information Team (CIPIT) (October 2018). Country Policy and Information Note Sri Lanka: Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression (PDF) (Report). Government of the United Kingdom. Version 3.0. Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 2022-02-01.