The death of Freedom of Assembly, Expression and Religion in the North of Sri Lanka

Groundviews

WATCHDOG-1 Dec, 2012

Every 26^th[1] and 27^th of November since the end of the war (2009), we hear of people in the North not being able to moan their dead, not being able to carry out peaceful assemblies, not being able to partake in religious festivals or observances in public or at home, and every year it falls on deaf ears. Also noteworthy is the fact that such incidents are most often reported only in the Tamil media and sites or non-main stream news websites. This raises the question as to what “makes news” in the South, and what the mainstream media considers priority. The North not being one of them it would seem.

The trusty arms of the State once again ‘rose to the occasion’ with a real “vengeance” this time around, to suppress all events, deemed by them to be “unwarranted” or bearing potential to “incite” the populace, for the fourth consecutive year now. The only difference this year being that the State has blatantly ignored the recommendations made by its very own reconciliatory mechanism, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), which has asked that the State “facilitate(e) their (the people’s) attendance at religious ceremonies, without placing any hindrance to such activities” and that “(p)eople, community leaders and religious leaders should be free to organize peaceful events and meetings without restrictions” (para. 9.116 and 9.118). The report has even gone as far as to recommend that a “separate event be set apart on the National Day to express solidarity and empathy with all victims of the tragic conflict…”(para. 8.304).

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