Sri Lanka is a constitutional, multiparty republic. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was reelected to a second six-year term in January 2010, and the parliament, which was elected in April 2010, share constitutional power. The government is dominated by the president’s family; two of the president’s brothers hold key executive branch posts as defense secretary and minister of economic development, while a third brother is the speaker of parliament.
A large number
of other relatives, including the president’s son, also serve in important
political or diplomatic positions. Independent observers generally
characterized the presidential, parliamentary, and local elections as
problematic. Elections were fraught with violations of the election law by all
major parties and were influenced by the governing coalition’s use of state
resources. Civilian authorities maintained effective control over the security
forces.
The major human rights problems were attacks on and
harassment of civil society activists, persons viewed as Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sympathizers, and journalists by persons allegedly tied to
the government, creating an environment of fear and self-censorship; involuntary
disappearances as well as a lack of accountability for thousands who
disappeared in previous years; and widespread impunity for a broad range of
human rights abuses, particularly involving police torture, and attacks on media
institutions and the judiciary.
Other serious human rights problems included unlawful
killings by security forces and government-allied paramilitary groups, often in
predominantly Tamil areas; torture and abuse of detainees by police and
security forces; poor prison conditions; and arbitrary arrest and detention by
authorities. Lengthy pretrial detention was a problem. Denial of fair public
trial remained a problem, and during the year there were coordinated moves by
the government to undermine the independence of the judiciary. The government
infringed on citizens’ privacy rights. There were restrictions on freedom of
speech, press, assembly, association, and movement. While citizens generally
were able to travel almost anywhere in the island, there continued to be police
and military checkpoints in the north, and de facto high-security zones and
other areas remained off limits to citizens. Authorities harassed journalists
critical of the government and self-censorship was widespread. The president
exercised authority under the 18th amendment to maintain control of
appointments to previously independent public institutions that oversee the
judiciary, police, and human rights. Lack of government transparency was a
serious problem. Violence and discrimination against women were problems, as
were abuse of children and trafficking in persons. Discrimination against
persons with disabilities and against the ethnic Tamil minority continued, and
a disproportionate number of victims of human rights violations were Tamils. Discrimination
against persons based on their sexual orientation and against persons with HIV/AIDS
were problems. Limits on workers’ rights and child labor remained problems.
The government prosecuted a very small number of officials
implicated in human rights abuses but had yet to hold anyone accountable for
alleged violations of international humanitarian law and international human
rights law that occurred during the conflict that ended in 2009.
During the year unknown actors suspected of association with
progovernment paramilitary groups committed killings, kidnappings, assaults, and
intimidation of civilians. There were persistent reports of close, ground-level
ties between paramilitary groups and government security forces.
Read the full report here
Read the full report here
