{"id":235341,"date":"2024-01-11T21:49:09","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T16:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=235341"},"modified":"2024-01-13T14:13:28","modified_gmt":"2024-01-13T08:43:28","slug":"wickremesinghe-govt-continues-to-repress-freedoms-of-expression-pursue-policies-against-minorities-hrw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wickremesinghe-govt-continues-to-repress-freedoms-of-expression-pursue-policies-against-minorities-hrw\/","title":{"rendered":"Wickremesinghe Govt. Continues To Repress Freedoms Of Expression & Pursue Policies Against Minorities: HRW"},"content":{"rendered":"

Regressive government policies and inadequate social protection left many Sri Lankans<\/a><\/span>\u00a0at risk from the worst effects of the country\u2019s economic crisis, Human Rights Watch said today in its\u00a0World Report 2024<\/em><\/a><\/span>. The government of President Ranil Wickremesinghe<\/a><\/span> continued to repress freedoms of expression and association, and pursue policies that discriminate against minority communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cMillions of Sri Lankans are struggling to survive an economic crisis that partly originated in corrupt, unaccountable governance,\u201d said\u00a0Meenakshi Ganguly<\/a><\/span>, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. \u201cThe current administration is responding with policies that weigh heaviest on those who have least, while suppressing voices that are essential for accountable, democratic decision-making.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the 740-page\u00a0World Report 2024<\/em>, its 34th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in\u00a0more than\u00a0100 countries. In her\u00a0introductory essay<\/a><\/span>, Executive Director\u00a0Tirana Hassan<\/a><\/span>\u00a0says that 2023 was a\u00a0consequential\u00a0year not only for\u00a0human rights suppression and wartime atrocities but also for selective government outrage and transactional diplomacy that carried profound costs for the rights of those not in on the deal.\u00a0But she says there were also\u00a0signs of hope, showing the possibility of a different path, and calls on governments to consistently uphold their human rights obligations.<\/p>\n

The Sri Lankan government and International Monetary Fund\u2019s (IMF) response to the economic situation undermined human rights<\/a><\/span>\u00a0in the country. More than 17 percent of the population are moderately or acutely food insecure and in need of humanitarian assistance, and 31 percent of children aged under 5 are malnourished,\u00a0according to the United Nations<\/a><\/span>. The IMF program focused on raising government revenues, and emphasized tackling corruption and improving social protection, but as structured it shifted the burden of recovery principally onto people with low incomes.<\/p>\n

The government raised electricity tariffs, doubled value-added taxes, and phased out fuel subsidies. The reform program included a \u201csocial spending floor\u201d set at 0.6 percent of GDP, less than half developing countries\u2019 average. The government\u2019s plan of targeted social protection benefits led to the exclusion of many who do not have an adequate standard of living. In an attempt to manage its domestic debts, the government reduced the value of state-run pension funds in which ordinary people hold their savings.<\/p>\n

The families of victims of enforced disappearance and human rights defenders in the\u00a0north and east, faced government surveillance and intimidation<\/a><\/span>. Government agencies pursued a policy of \u201cland grabbing\u201d that targeted the property of Tamil and Muslim communities, including religious sites.<\/p>\n

President Wickremesinghe sought to suppress dissent, ending a moratorium on the use of the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act. A proposed new counterterrorism law, which was withdrawn for further revision, would grant authorities sweeping powers and create new speech-related offenses. The proposed Online Safety Bill would further restrict speech by creating a commission, appointed by the president, that could decide whether online statements were false or prohibited, order their removal, and participate in police investigations and prosecutions. (HRW)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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