CIVIL SOCIETY CALLS ON PM &

PRESIDENT TO PUBLICLY EXPRESS

THEIR CONFIDENCE IN THE
CHAIRPERSON AND HRCSL

Image: Dr. Deepika Udagama, (Daily FT)

Statement by 37 CSOs and 170 Individuals Condemning Attacks Against
HRCSL Chairperson Dr. Deepika Udagama.

16/07/2018
We are appalled at statements akin to death threats, violence and hate speech
against the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka
(HRCSL), Dr. Deepika Udagama, a highly respected scholar and human
rights advocate. We express grave concern and alarm at these statements and
extend our solidarity and support to Dr. Udagama.
We take this opportunity to welcome the independent, substantive and
transparent policy interventions made by the HRCSL under Dr. Udagama’s
leadership. We also welcome the Commission’s proactive investigations into
individual cases and the consultative processes and mechanisms it has put in
place including with government and non-government entities. Among the
Commission’s work has been the independent vetting process undertaken in
relation to the deployment of military personnel for UN peacekeeping
operations, which has led to these recent threats. We reiterate that this is part
of the mandate of the HRCSL and applaud its commitment to continue
despite threats. We welcome the HRCSL’s transparency in clarifying the
process of this work in response to misleading and false information published
by some media.
The threats against Dr. Udugama as chairperson of the HRCSL, made by
Rear Admiral (Rtd.) Sarath Weerasekera, former Director General of the
Civil Defence Force, at a media briefing called by the ‘Jathika Sanvidana
Ekatuwa’ and published in “Mawbima” a weekly Sinhala language
newspaper, on 29th June 2018, are directly linked to the HRCSL’s role in this
vetting process, undertaken at the request of the Government of Sri Lanka
and with the agreement of the Sri Lanka Army. Dr. Udagama, was also
accused of working with NGOs to treacherously further the interests of the
Tigers and Rear Admiral Weerasekera called for the death penalty for all
traitors under the rule of a patriotic government.
The nature of the attack against Dr. Udagama is of course nothing new. Rear
Admiral Weerasekera and others like him routinely seek to discredit,
delegitimize and dismiss opinions and actions of those that they are not in
agreement with ‘as the work of NGOs, tiger terrorists and unpatriotic
elements’ without engaging in reasoned and rational debate. The mainstream
media simply reproduces these statements without any analysis or
investigation of what is being said.
The current leadership of the HRCSL has time and again demonstrated its
independence from the State and private entities. We wish to stress that the
Commissioners of the HRCSL were selected by the Constitutional Council,
established by popular demand, through the 19th Amendment to the
Constitution of Sri Lanka in 2015. It is the diligence and good practice
established by the current leadership that resulted in the HRCSL being
reinstated to an institution with ‘A’ status under the Paris Principles of 1993,
which frame and guide the work of National Human Rights Institutions across
the world. We welcome this recognition as another indicator of the
institutional integrity re-established by the HRCSL under the leadership of
Dr. Udagama.
That the HRCSL Chairperson should be threatened publicly in such a
manner and that the Mawbima newspaper chose to highlight such
irresponsible statements is a matter of serious concern. We condemn these
statements and the impunity with which they are made. We call on the
President, the Prime Minister and all political leaders to publicly express their
confidence in the Chairperson and HRCSL, ensure her protection and that of
the other Commissioners and Staff of HRCSL, and enable a safe environment
conducive to the work of the HRCSL being carried out without interference,
threat or compromise.
Signatures
Dr. Kumari Jayawardena
Prof. Gananath Obeyesekera
Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda
Prof. Ajit Abeysekera
Prof. Arjuna Aluwihare
Prof. Jayantha Seneviratne
Prof. Kumar David
Prof. Neloufer de Mel
Prof. S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole
Dr Reeza Hameed
Dr. Gameela Samarasinghe
Dr. Malathi De Alwis
Dr. Selvy Thiruchandran
Dr. Sepali Kottegoda
Dr. Shermal Wijewardene
Dr. Vasuki Nesiah
Dr. Sakuntala Kadirgamar
Gamini Viyangoda
Ruki Fernando
Anushya Coomaraswamy
Anberiya Hanifa
B. Gowthaman
Balasingham Skanthakumar
Bhavani Fonseka
Brito Fernando
Phillip Dissanayake
D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Suren Perera
Lakshman Gunasekara
Lionel Guruge
Shreen Saroor
Sumika Perera
Anthony Vinoth
Aritha Wickramasinghe
Arjun Guneratne
Aruna Alwis
Asma Rahman
Avanti Ratnayeke
Buddhima Padmasiri
C.R. Gnanarajah
Chamila Thushari
Charmaine Ratnagopal
Raisa Wickrematunge
Ranee Ratnayeke
Damith Chandimal
Deekshya Illangasinghe
Dilini Hemachandra
Farah Mihlar
Fathima Razik Cader
Freddy Gamage
Gamini Akmeemana
Gayathri Gamage
Mario Gomez
Marisa De Silva
Marsha Daniel
Rosanna Flamer-Caldera
Mathuri Thamilmaran
Meena Udeshi
Melani Manel Perera
Lucille Abeykoon
Suriya Wickremasinghe
Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala
Danesh Casie Chetty
Geoffrey Alagaratnam, PC
Lal Wijenayake
Chandra Jayaratne
Manel Fonseka
Chandraguptha Thenuwara
Kumudini Samuel
Fr. Nandana Manatunga
Dilrukshi Handunnetti
Herman Kumara
Chulani Kodikara
Sr. Nichola
Sandhya Ekneligoda
Sandun Thudugala
Godfrey Yogarajah
Sunanda Deshapriya
Kumaravadivel Guruparan
Faaiz Ameer
Deanne Uyangoda
Dinushika Dissanayake
Druki Martinstyne
Emil van der Poorten
Ermiza Tegal
Gehan Gunatilleke
Ramani Muttettuwegama
Sanjana Hattotuwa
Sarala Emmanuel
Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala
Jayathilaka Bandara
Jehan Perera
Jensila Majeed
F. Zackariya
Udaya Kalupathirana
Joanne Senn
Juwairiya Mohideen
Natasha Balendra
Nigel Nugawela
H.J.F. Silva
Hans Billimoria
Hasanah Cegu Isadeen
J. Henry de Mel
Jayanta de S Wijeratne
K. Aingkaran
Kalani Subasinghe
Kamani Jinadasa
Kanishka Goonewardena
Kaushalya Fernando
Kshama Ranawana
Mahalaxumy Kurushanthan
Mangaleswary Shanker
Manthri Perera
Meneka Galigamuwa
Kusal Perera
Miyuru Gunasinghe
Mohandas Thangarajah
Mujeebur Rahman
Paba Deshapriya
Thiyagaraja Waradas
Anuratha Rajaretnam
Anushika Amarasinghe
Nilantha Ilangamuwa
Nilshan Fonseka
Christine Perera
Damaris Wickremesekera
Kushlani Perera
Nirmanusan Balasundaram.
P. Selvaratnam
Prabha Nagalingham
Peter Munieram
Peter Rezel
Prabodha Rathnayaka
Prabu Deepan
Prasanga Fernando
Priya Mohan
Priyalal Sirisena
Priyantha Gamage
R.M.B Senanayake
Rumala Morel
Ruvini Perera
Sabra Zahid
Sachini Perera
Sahira Lafir
Sampath Samarakoon
Sato Jayamaha
Savithri Rodrigo
Shalomi Daniel
Shamila Daluwatte
Sharanya Sekaram
Sheila Richards
Shenali De Silva
Shyama Perera
Shyamala Gomez
Stella Victor
Subha Wijesiriwardena.
Sucharitha Patnatunga
Swasthika Arulingam
Tanuja Thurairajah
Tara Ramanayake
Tehani Ariyaratne
Thaha Muzammil
Tharanga de Silva
Thenu Ranketh
Thyagi Ruwanpathirana
Udeni Thewarapperuma
Vanie Simon
Vasanthi Harasgama
Visaka Dharmadasa
Yasir Ismail
Zahabia Adamaly
Organizations
1. Affected Women’s Forum, Ampara
2. Afriel Youth Network.
3. Alliance Development Trust
4. Alternative Generation for Social Justice and Rights, Jaffna
5. Ampara District Women’s Network (ADWN), Kalmunai/Ampara
6. Association of War Affected Women
7. Batticaloa District Aruvi Women’s Network (BDWN), Batticaloa
8. Center for Humanitarian and Integrated Development (CHID –
Mullai), Mullaitivu
9. Civil and Political Rights AMAYAM (CPR AMAYAM), Eastern
Province
10.Civil Rights Forum (CRF), Kilinochchi
11.Equal Ground, Sri Lanka
12.Families of the Disappeared
13.Forum for Affected People , Mannar
 14.Future in Our Hands Development Fund Badulla
15.Human Development Organization
16.Human Rights Office, Kandy
17.Humanitarian and Human Rights AHAM (HHR – AHAM)
18.INFORM Human Rights Documentation Center
19.International Center for Ethnic Studies (ICES)
20.Law and Human Rights Center (LHRC), Jaffna
21.Law and Society Trust, Colombo.
22.Mannar Social and Economical Development Organization (MSEDO),
Mannar
23.Mannar Women’s Development Federation
24.Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR)
25.Muslim Women Development Trust Puttalam
26.NAFSO – National Fisheries Solidarity Movement
27.National Peace Council
28.North East Coordinating Committee (NECC)
29.People for Justice Center (PJC), Vavuniya
30.People’s Collective for Climate Justice (PCCJ), Eastern Province
31.Right to Life Human Rights Center
32.Rights now – Collective for Democracy
33.Trincomalee District Women’s Network (TDWN), Trincomalee
34.Venasa Transgender Network
35.Women and Media Collective
36.Women’s Action Network
37.Workers Solidarity Union
Posted by Thavam