File photograph.
A new report by CIVICUS has warned that civic space in Sri Lanka remains “repressed” under the government of Anura Kumara Dissanayake, despite the president’s campaign promises to dismantle draconian laws and expand democratic rights.
Dissanayake and his National People’s Power (NPP) coalition came to power in late 2024 pledging to abolish the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), roll back abusive provisions of the Online Safety Act, and establish an independent prosecutorial body. Yet, one year into his presidency, watchdogs warn that repression has only deepened.
Tamil activists and civil society targeted
CIVICUS documented how Tamil activists in the North-East continue to face harassment, surveillance and legal intimidation. Human rights defenders such as Thambirasa Selvarani, who campaigns for justice for the disappeared in Amparai, and women’s rights organiser Vasuki Vallipuram in Kilinochchi, were summoned and interrogated by counter-terrorism police.
Civil society organisations (CSOs) are subjected to heavy scrutiny by intelligence services, particularly over funding, and must secure security clearance from the Ministry of Defence in order to operate. The report warns this militarised oversight “risks repression of dissenting voices” and is a direct violation of international obligations under the ICCPR.
Women’s rights organisations in the North-East have been disproportionately affected, with onerous bureaucratic hurdles threatening their survival.
Protests violently suppressed
Despite constitutional guarantees of peaceful assembly, Sri Lankan police have repeatedly cracked down on demonstrations. Student organisers, trade unions, and activists linked to the 2022 mass protests face ongoing judicial harassment, with more than 3,000 people still tied up in unresolved cases.
In March 2025, police arrested 27 student activists in Colombo, while earlier bans blocked Tamil memorialisation events. Reports note protesters were beaten, dragged off the streets, and threatened with long-term restrictions.
PTA and free expression
The PTA, long used disproportionately against Tamils, remains in force despite NPP pledges. It was used as recently as March 2025 to detain 22-year-old Muslim activist Mohamed Rusdi over stickers opposing Israel’s assault on Gaza. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka later found his detention exemplified the PTA’s “inherent dangers.”
Meanwhile, Tamils continue to face criminalisation for remembrance. In Jaffna, Manoharan Kajendroopan was arrested under the PTA for posting a photo of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on Facebook during Maaveerar Naal. Others were charged simply for sharing old videos of the commemorations online.
Journalists, particularly Tamil reporters, have also faced attacks and intimidation. Tamil journalist Selvakumar Nilanthan was arrested in Batticaloa, while another, Murugaiyah Thamilselvan, was violently attacked in Kilinochchi. In August, photojournalist Kanapathipillai Kumanan was summoned over his reporting on the Chemmani mass graves.
Sri Lanka ranks 139th out of 180 countries on the 2025 World Press Freedom Index.
Accountability stalled
Despite overwhelming UN evidence of mass atrocities committed during the armed conflict, the report highlights that Colombo continues to resist meaningful accountability. Instead, the government maintains institutions such as the Office on Missing Persons and the Office for Reparations, which victims’ families have dismissed as cosmetic.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, urged Colombo in August to seize the “historic opportunity” to break with impunity and deliver long-overdue justice. Yet surveillance, harassment, and intimidation of Tamil families of the disappeared and memorial organisers persist.
The report concludes that despite promises of reform, Sri Lanka remains firmly entrenched in a culture of repression. “Civic space is rated as Repressed,” CIVICUS warns, underscoring that international monitoring and pressure remain crucial.
Read the full report here.