Diocese of Colombo Church of Ceylon Diocese of Kurunegala

368/3A, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07. Sri Lanka

Tel : 011 – 2696208 / 011- 2684810 Fax : 011 – 2684811
Email : ps@churchofceylon.com

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY 2021

A JOINT STATEMENT

We the Bishops of the Church and the Church of Ceylon, in this message on International
Human Rights Day, call upon all Sri Lankans and all Christians to join the United Nations of
the world to reaffirm their commitment to the equality of all human beings who are “born
free and equal in dignity and rights.”

We express our concern that in Sri Lanka today there are many distressing developments that
have undermined this important provision in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR).

1. Two and a half years after the Easter Sunday massacre, there seems to be more focus
on harassing those calling for truth and justice on behalf of those who lost their lives,
rather than ascertaining and revealing the masterminds behind the biggest civilian
massacre of the post-civil war era;

2. Twelve years after the end of the protracted civil war, despite Government
commitments to pursue truth and justice in relation to war times abuses that included
enforced disappearances, the aerial bombardment of hospitals, places of sanctuary and
religious worship, the institutions and mechanisms responsible have made little
progress and there is concern about backsliding in this important area for post war
national reconciliation;

3. Many significant human rights violations that affect the equality and dignity of
persons and undermine the Rule of Law remain unaddressed. These include the
killings during the Rathupaswela protests, the killing of labour rights activist Roshane
Chanaka, PTA detainees, Nimalaruben and Dilrukshan, the abduction of journalist
Pradeep Ekneligoda, the abduction of 11 youth and men and the Welikada prison
massacres;

4. We note with concern the continuing killings, “suicides” and torture in police custody
and prisons despite appeals and prior warnings expressed by the Bar Association,
Human Rights Commission, the media and other civil society groups;

5. We also condemn the continued unjustified incarceration of Heejaz Hisbullah,

Attorney at Law, and the poet, Ahnaf Jazeem, despite repeated appeals for their
release;

Bishop of Colombo : Rt. Revd. Dushantha Rodrigo Presiding Bishop / Bishop of Kurunegala : Rt. Revd. Keerthisiri
Fernando
Provincial Secretary: Mr. Arun Gamalatge
Diocese of Colombo Church of Ceylon Diocese of Kurunegala
368/3A, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07. Sri Lanka
Tel : 011 – 2696208 / 011- 2684810 Fax : 011 – 2684811
Email : ps@churchofceylon.com

6. We call upon the Government to pay particular attention to the equal rights and
dignity of marginalized groups who have also had to deal with the challenges of the
Covid pandemic: the workers on estates and factories, farmers, those who work in the
informal sector and the fishing communities, several of whom have even been driven
to suicide.

7. The recent appalling and brutal murder of the Sri Lankan factory manager, Priyantha
Kumara Diyawardena, in Pakistan, reminds us of the responsibility of religious
leaders to counter religious extremism within their respective religious traditions. The
Church of Ceylon in Sri Lanka, while expressing our deepest condolences and prayers
to his wife and two children, commits itself to this endeavor and ensuring that the
human rights of all are respected and inter-faith initiatives strengthened to curb
religious extremism.

It is vital that in a society based on the Rule of Law, Human Rights and Democracy
these matters should be addressed as a matter of urgency. The establishment of the
Task Force on One Country and One Law that raises serious constitutional issues both
with respect to the manner it was established and its mandate, quite apart from its
composition, raise serious concerns about the Government’s commitment to pluralism
and minority rights. Finally, it is equally important in our view that the Government
also respects the right of people to dissent and engage in advocacy on the issues
outlined above, and, in general, for human rights, pluralism, democracy and truth with
justice.

The Right Reverend Keerthisiri Fernando The Right Reverend Dushantha Rodrigo
Bishop of Kurunagala & Bishop of Colombo
The Presiding Bishop of Church of Ceylon

10 December 2021

Bishop of Colombo : Rt. Revd. Dushantha Rodrigo Presiding Bishop / Bishop of Kurunegala : Rt. Revd. Keerthisiri
Fernando
Provincial Secretary: Mr. Arun Gamalatge