{"id":236104,"date":"2024-03-13T07:50:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-13T02:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=236104"},"modified":"2024-03-13T08:06:55","modified_gmt":"2024-03-13T02:36:55","slug":"imf-should-oppose-restrictions-on-freedom-of-expression-civil-society-groups-hrw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/imf-should-oppose-restrictions-on-freedom-of-expression-civil-society-groups-hrw\/","title":{"rendered":"IMF Should Oppose Restrictions On Freedom of Expression & Civil Society Groups: HRW"},"content":{"rendered":"

The International Monetary Fund (IMF<\/a><\/span>) should urge Sri Lanka<\/a><\/span>\u2019s government to abandon draft legislation that would severely curtail civil society and jeopardize the IMF\u2019s program in the country, Human Rights Watch said in a\u00a0letter<\/a><\/span>\u00a0to the IMF that was released today. The proposed Non-Governmental Organizations (Registration and Supervision) Act is among several recent and planned measures that would curtail fundamental freedoms, despite the critical role of public scrutiny in promoting good governance and combatting corruption.<\/p>\n

The IMF\u2019s US$3 billion bailout of Sri Lanka \u2013 which is linked to government commitments to reform \u2013 helped stem the immediate economic crisis after the country defaulted on its foreign debt in 2022, but further progress is threatened by the adoption of laws by President Ranil Wickremesinghe<\/a><\/span>\u2019s administration that would severely restrict basic rights. The\u00a0Online Safety Act<\/a><\/span>, enacted in January,\u00a0creates vague and broad speech-related offenses\u00a0punishable with lengthy prison terms. The\u00a0Anti-Terrorism Bill<\/a><\/span>,<\/u>\u00a0currently before parliament,\u00a0contains sweeping new speech-related offenses and arbitrary powers of arrest. And the draft law to regulate nongovernmental organizations could make independent civil society activity all but impossible in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the economy collapsed in 2022, Sri Lankans demanded good governance and an end to corruption, but instead now face draconian laws and policies that threaten human rights and undermine reforms,\u201d said\u00a0Meenakshi Ganguly<\/a><\/span>, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. \u201cThe protests helped bring President Wickremesinghe to power, but instead of listening to calls for change, he\u2019s clamping down on peaceful dissent.\u201d<\/p>\n

A 2023 IMF study of Sri Lanka known as the\u00a0Governance Diagnostic Assessment<\/a><\/span>\u00a0stated that<\/span>\u00a0<\/u>\u201c[a]nticorruption efforts are unlikely to achieve their objectives unless they also encompass initiatives designed and led by groups outside of government who are committed to rule-based inclusive economic and social progress.\u201d However, the study found that civil society\u2019s participation in oversight and monitoring of government actions has been \u201crestricted by limited transparency, the lack of platforms for inclusive and participatory governance, and by broad application of counter-terrorism rules.\u201d As a result, \u201copportunities for public participation and oversight of official behaviour, including by civil society, are increasingly restricted.\u201d<\/p>\n

The government on January 30, 2024, provided the draft NGO law to selected members of civil society, who were given three weeks to respond. The bill does not address any evident need, but instead seeks to subject civil society organizations to invasive government scrutiny and interference, and threatens civil society members with prison if they don\u2019t comply with cumbersome administrative procedures.<\/p>\n

The National Collective of CSOs and NGOs, a coalition of Sri Lankan civil society organizations, wrote to the government on February 28 that the proposed law would \u201cviolate the fundamental rights to freedom of association and expression,\u201d while damaging the delivery of services by civil society organizations, including to \u201cthe many families who are struggling to make ends meet in the midst of severe economic hardship.\u201d<\/p>\n

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker T\u00fcrk, in his\u00a0March 1 update to the UN Human Rights Council<\/a><\/span>\u00a0on the crisis in Sri Lanka, said he was \u201cconcerned by the introduction of new or proposed laws with potentially far-reaching impact on fundamental rights and freedoms \u2026 which variously strengthen the executive, grant broad powers to the security forces, and severely restrict rights to freedom of assembly, association and expression, impacting not only on civic space but the business environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The IMF should protect the credibility and efficacy of its program in Sri Lanka by publicly calling upon the government to abandon the proposed NGO law, impose a moratorium on use of the Online Safety Act, and amend the Anti-Terrorism Bill to ensure that it respects human rights standards, Human Rights Watch said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe IMF and other international partners supporting Sri Lanka\u2019s economic recovery recognize that this crisis has its roots in misgovernance and corruption,\u201d Ganguly said. \u201cIf their efforts are to be successful, they need to stand firm against the government\u2019s attempts to curtail fundamental civil and political rights.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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