News Archives - Right To Life Human Rights Center

Court Orders Progress Report on Easter Attack Probe Amid Serious Allegations

The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court has ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to submit a progress report on investigations into the Easter Sunday Attacks by May 20, following court proceedings held on April 22. The order was issued by Magistrate Isuru Neththikumara after considering submissions made by Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris and counsel representing […]

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Allegations of Brutal Assault by Weerawila Police Officers

News / suneth gajanayake

A serious incident of alleged police brutality has been reported involving officers attached to the Weerawila Police Station, where a young man was subjected to severe assault, sustained critical injuries, and was subsequently detained and charged under what are claimed to be false allegations in an apparent attempt to cover up the incident. According to

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Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has determined that the fundamental rights of Thushara Upuldeniya

HRCSL Finds Fundamental Rights Violations in Thushara Upuldeniya Case

News / suneth gajanayake

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has determined that the fundamental rights of Thushara Upuldeniya have been violated, following an official inquiry into a complaint lodged before the Commission. In its recent recommendations, the HRCSL concluded that actions taken by state authorities, including officials attached to the Criminal Investigation Department, amounted to a

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Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court Holds Landmark Paperless Trial

Landmark Cases, News / suneth gajanayake

Sri Lanka marked a significant milestone in its judicial reform journey as the Supreme Court conducted its first fully paperless hearing on March 26, 2026. This development signals a progressive step toward modernising the country’s legal system through digital innovation. The hearing was presided over by Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, alongside Justices Arjuna Obeyesekera

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Justice After 14 Years: Supreme Court Holds Payagala Police Accountable for Torture

News / suneth gajanayake

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has ruled that the fundamental rights of a young man arrested by the Payagala Police in 2012 were violated, in a judgment delivered on 7 March 2026. The petitioner, Lewwanduwa Vithanage Sameera Sampath, a 24-year-old resident of Katukurudugahalandha, Pothuvila, Payagala, was arrested by the Payagala Police on 27 January

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Right to Life Human Rights Centre Signs Joint Statement Marking Five Years of the Yazidi Survivors Law in Iraq

News, Statements / suneth gajanayake

The Right to Life Human Rights Centre (R2L), Sri Lanka has joined 41 international and national organizations in signing a Joint Statement marking five years since the enactment of Iraq’s Yazidi Survivors Law (YSL), adopted on 1 March 2021. The statement reflects on the significance of the YSL as a landmark survivor-centred reparation framework addressing

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Supreme Court Orders UGC to Admit Student, Reinforces Equality in Higher Education

News / suneth gajanayake

Colombo, 5 February 2026 — The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has delivered a landmark judgment reinforcing the constitutional right to equality in access to higher education, ruling that the University Grants Commission (UGC) violated a student’s fundamental rights by rejecting his application under the Students with Foreign Qualifications category. The case concerned a Sri

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United Nations headquarters representing UN financial crisis due to unpaid member state contributions

UN Faces Financial Crisis as Unpaid Dues Exceed $1.5 Billion

News / suneth gajanayake

The United Nations is facing a serious financial crisis due to a growing backlog of unpaid contributions from member states, UN officials have warned. According to UN figures, member countries owed more than US$1.56 billion in assessed contributions at the end of 2025, more than double the amount recorded the previous year. The shortfall has

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Supreme Court Leave to Proceed with Fundamental Rights Petition Over Custodial Death After Five Years

News / suneth gajanayake

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on Wednesday (29 January) leave to proceed with a Fundamental Rights petition filed in connection with the death of a 21-year-old man who died following his arrest by the Pugoda Police in 2020. The deceased, Gayan Pushpakumara, was a resident of the Mandawala Kanda area in Pugoda. At the

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Judicial Overreach and Procedural Malice: Weaponizing the Coast Conservation Act in Trincomalee

Fair Justice Campaign, News / suneth gajanayake

A Statement by the Fair Justice Campaign, Right to Life Human Rights Centre The Fair Justice Campaign of the Right to Life Human Rights Centre expresses its profound concern regarding the remand of Ven. Balangoda Kassapa Thero and nine other suspects. The legal proceedings witnessed on January 19, 2026, before the Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court, and

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Right to Life Calls on Government to Reform Colonial-Era Laws Targeting the LGBTIQ Community

News / suneth gajanayake

Colombo, 19 January 2026 — The Right to Life Human Rights Centre has called on the Government of Sri Lanka to urgently reform and repeal outdated colonial-era laws that continue to be used to harass, intimidate, and arbitrarily detain members of the LGBTIQ community. In a formal letter addressed to Harshana Nanayakkara, Minister of Justice

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Legacy of Injustice: How Archaic Laws Continue to Haunt Sri Lanka’s LGBTIQ Community

Articles, News / Dini

Sri Lanka’s legal landscape regarding the LGBTIQ community remains a complex web of colonial-era statutes and modern interpretations. While the constitution guarantees equality, a specific set of “archaic” laws relics of the British Victorian era are frequently weaponized to marginalize, harass, and prosecute individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. Below is

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