The European Union (EU) warned Sri Lanka that trade between the two regions “is not a one-way street,” as it expressed concern over Colombo’s import restrictions and withdrawal of support for the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution on accountability.

Three suspects in the assault on two Tamil journalists last month in Mullaitivu were granted bail on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom has hit back at The Elders this week, after the group referenced Sri Lanka when they spoke on US President Donald Trump’s refusal to “adhere to the protocols and processes governing the transition of power”.

Muslim human rights lawyer Hejaaz Jizbullah, who has been arbitrarily detained by the Sri Lankan state under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) since April 2020, missed out on the birth of his first child on Sunday morning. 

A campaign group dedicated to the release of the prominent lawyer, Justice For Hejaaz, tweeted:

Sri Lanka’s Tamils are rarely given a fair hearing on the world stage. But on the occasions when their voices do gain some momentum, there will always be some among them who use their privilege and status to dismiss and deride their concerns. From denying the racism and oppression rife within Sri Lanka, to undermining the decades-long struggle of the families of the disappeared, no one has been more willing to do that than Muttiah Muralitharan.

The United Kingdom will continue with the European Union's Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) frameworks after the end of the Brexit transition period, giving a number of countries, including Sri Lanka, the ability to trade with the UK with zero, or reduced tariffs.

Sri Lanka’s army commander and alleged war criminal, Shavendra Silva has ‘banned’ this year’s public Maaveerar Naal commemoration events and threatened that any efforts taken to remember will result in legal action and isolation, according to Tamil Newspaper Kalaikathir.

“Relatives have the right to remember ordinary people who died in the war. This can be done from home. However, Maaveerar Naal commemorations attempting to commemorate terrorists cannot be held in public. Therefore, any attempts to honour LTTE cadres will not be permitted,” he said.

Amnesty International has called on the Sri Lankan government to commit funds to support the transitional justice process for victim survivors, ahead of today's national budget announcement for 2021. 

The Sri Lankan government is reportedly under “great pressure” to “concede” the development of the East Container Terminal (ECT) at the Colombo Port to India, according to the National Union of Seafarers Sri Lanka.

_{Arputhammal Ammal, mother of AG Perarivalan}

Arputhammal Ammal, mother of the accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case,  AG Perarivalan, has pleaded through a video message to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, asking for her son’s release. 

The Metropolitan Police announced the opening of a full war crimes investigation into a British company that assisted the Sri Lankan military in committing crimes against Tamils, in a landmark move this week.

The Sri Lankan government deployed a substantial number of police and army officers to the site of Vannivilankulam Thuyillum illam in Mullaitivu on Monday, as cleaning and preparation activities were being carried out by volunteers ahead of Maaveerar Naal.

Local volunteers and politicians that were present at the site reported that they were obstructed from preparing the site for Maaveerar Naal and also interrogated by multiple Sri Lankan police and army officers.

A statement from The Elders last week compared US President Donald Trump’s refusal to “adhere to the protocols and processes governing the transition of power” to that of “volatile and undemocratic situations in states such as Kenya, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe”.

The statement comes Trump continued to claim on Twitter that he won the US presidential election, despite every other major broadcaster having called the election for his Democratic opponent Joe Biden.