Human rights in Sri Lanka

Human rights in Sri Lanka provides for fundamental rights in the country. The Sri Lanka Constitution states that every person is entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice. And, that every person is equal before the law.^[1]

Several human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch,^[1] as well as the British government,^[2] the United States Department of State^[3] and the European Union,^[4] have expressed concern about the state of human rights in Sri Lanka. The government of Sri Lanka and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as well as various other paramilitaries and marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) rebels are accused of violating human rights.^[5] Although Sri Lanka has not officially practiced the death penalty since 1976,^[6] there are well-documented cases of state-sponsored 'disappearances' and murders.^[7]^[8]

^ THE CONSTITUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA CHAPTER III, 10
^ Keerthisinghe, Lakshman I. (2013). "The British duplicity in protecting human rights in Sri Lanka". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
^ Sri Lanka
^ "The EU's relations with Sri Lanka – Overview". Archived from the original on September 10, 2007.
^ 2006 Annual Report for Sri Lanka, Amnesty International USA, archived from the original on 2008-11-29, retrieved 2009-02-12
^ "Death penalty in Sri Lanka". Ste's Site. Archived from the original on February 22, 2006.
^ Recurring Nightmare: State Responsibility for "Disappearances" and Abductions in Sri Lanka
^ "Sri Lanka – Out of the Silence". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.

[1] THE CONSTITUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA CHAPTER III, 10

[2] Keerthisinghe, Lakshman I. (2013). "The British duplicity in protecting human rights in Sri Lanka". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2013-10-21.

[3] Sri Lanka

[4] "The EU's relations with Sri Lanka – Overview". Archived from the original on September 10, 2007.

[5] 2006 Annual Report for Sri Lanka, Amnesty International USA, archived from the original on 2008-11-29, retrieved 2009-02-12

[6] "Death penalty in Sri Lanka". Ste's Site. Archived from the original on February 22, 2006.

[7] Recurring Nightmare: State Responsibility for "Disappearances" and Abductions in Sri Lanka

[8] "Sri Lanka – Out of the Silence". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]