Local Elections in Sri Lanka: The Weaponisation of Democracy

Last week, President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced that Sri Lankan local elections, due to be held on 9th March 2023, will be indefinitely delayed, as the Sri Lankan government continues its assault on democratic rights.  These elections, which had already been...

Myth-Busting Sri Lanka at the Universal Periodic Review

On Wednesday 1st February, the Sri Lankan government will undergo its fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. You can watch it here between 9:30-12:30 Geneva time. The UPR is a quadrennial review which allows member states to...

Militarisation in Sri Lanka Part 2: The COVID-19 Pandemic

To read the first part of this series on militarisation in Sri Lanka, click here. The power wielded by the armed forces has been in the spotlight in Sri Lanka in the last few months as the economic crisis continues, with the military playing a prominent role both in...

Remembering Mullivaikkal – 13 years later

there is neither sea nor wind for us to dissolve the ashes proclaim an end and close our eyes. -Poem by Cheran Rudhramoorthy from In a Time of Burning 13 years ago, the Sri Lankan civil war came to an end following a brutal offensive launched by the government’s armed...