suneth gajanayake, Author at Right To Life Human Rights Center

Social Entrepreneurship Development Center (SEDC) Launch Marks a New Beginning for Community Empowerment in Anuradhapura

An initiative under the Sandhara Social Entrepreneurship Network aimed at empowering marginalized communities through sustainable, human-centered entrepreneurship. On April 7, 2026, the Social Entrepreneurship Development Center (SEDC) will be officially launched in Anuradhapura under the Sandhara Social Entrepreneurship Network. This initiative will represent a significant step toward strengthening community empowerment through a sustainable and people-centered […]

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Justice or pleasing the crowd?

Articles, Fair Justice Campaign / suneth gajanayake

When the Supreme Court found politicians (three Rajapaksa brothers) and senior officials including two former Governors of the Central Bank responsible for the damage caused the 2021-2022 economic crisis many were unhappy. They wanted the persons found culpable jailed, fined, and otherwise punished. Former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was recently ordered to pay LKR 75 million

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Justice for Victims of Torture: What is a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)?

Articles, Fair Justice Campaign / suneth gajanayake

A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is a set of step-by-step instructions compiled by an organization to help workers carry out complex and repetitive routine operations. The primary objective is to achieve efficiency, quality output, and uniformity of performance, while reducing miscommunication and failure to comply with regulations. In Sri Lanka, the restriction of civil space

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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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Sri Lankan Human Rights Defender Brito Fernando Awarded Per Anger Prize 2026

Articles / suneth gajanayake

Renowned Sri Lankan human rights defender Brito Fernando has been awarded the prestigious Per Anger Prize for 2026, in recognition of his decades-long struggle for truth, justice, and accountability for victims of enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka. The award, presented by the Swedish Government, honours individuals and organisations that have made outstanding contributions to human

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Justice Delayed, Life Disrupted in Suhail’s case: Why a Mere Apology for PTA Abuses is Never Enough

Articles, Fair Justice Campaign / suneth gajanayake

The horrifying reality of arbitrary arrests in Sri Lanka was laid bare once again at the Supreme Court this week. Mohamed Rifai Mohamed Suhail, a 21-year-old Muslim youth from Mawanella, was finally vindicated after spending nearly nine agonising months in remand custody. His alleged crime? A social media post that supposedly damaged an Israeli flag.

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Existing Laws Already Decriminalize Sex Work in Sri Lanka, Says Legal Expert

Articles / suneth gajanayake

Attorney-at-Law Lakshan Dias has stated that sex work is effectively decriminalised in Sri Lanka under existing judicial interpretations, suggesting that the primary focus should be on recognizing this legal reality rather than drafting complex new legislation. Providing a comprehensive legal analysis, Mr. Dias noted that the Vagrants Ordinance, introduced in 1841 to control migrant plantation

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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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Three Months After Cyclone Ditwa: How is the Recovery Process?

Articles, Climate / suneth gajanayake

Right to Life Human Rights Centre Three months have passed since Cyclone ‘Ditwa’ swept across Sri Lanka in late November. Although the focus of news headlines has shifted to other topics, the real struggle of the victims is not yet over. Ditwa was not merely a severe weather event, but a crucial moment that

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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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The Structural Crisis of Re Victimization in the Pursuit of Justice

Articles, Fair Justice Campaign / suneth gajanayake

Fair Justice Campaign, Right to Life Human Rights Centre Within the process of law enforcement and the administration of justice in Sri Lanka, the repeated re victimization of victims has become a common tragedy. The popular saying that those who go to court end up suffering did not emerge without reason. While many assume that

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Author name: suneth gajanayake

Justice or pleasing the crowd?

Justice for Victims of Torture: What is a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)?

Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court Holds Landmark Paperless Trial

Sri Lankan Human Rights Defender Brito Fernando Awarded Per Anger Prize 2026

Justice Delayed, Life Disrupted in Suhail’s case: Why a Mere Apology for PTA Abuses is Never Enough

Existing Laws Already Decriminalize Sex Work in Sri Lanka, Says Legal Expert

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

Three Months After Cyclone Ditwa: How is the Recovery Process?

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

The Structural Crisis of Re Victimization in the Pursuit of Justice

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