US State Department to issue Sri Lanka human rights report

The US Department of State is due to release the 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka.

In a summarised version of the report the State Department said despite dozens of arrests for alleged material support to the deceased suicide bombers behind the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks and continuing investigations, no suspects had been prosecuted for involvement in the attacks.

The report said the government has also gazetted an order deploying the armed forces to ensure public security each month since the expiration of the state of emergency, keeping the military continuously deployed since the attacks.

The report also signifies the passing of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution noting that opposition political leaders and civil society groups widely criticized the amendment for its broad expansion of executive authority that activists said would undermine the independence of the judiciary and independent state institutions, such as the Human Rights Commission and the Elections Commission, by granting the president sole authority to make appointments to these bodies with parliament afforded only a consultative role.

The report also highlights significant alleged human rights issues.

(Source: News Radio)