Recommendations
A/HRC/33/51/Add.2
Measures taken/current situation
Situation during
the visit
A/HRC/33/51/Ad
d.2
Level of implementation and
observations (to be completed
by the WGEID)
In response to the OMP’s interventions, the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence issued
directions to the Sri Lanka Army, Navy, Air Force and the Police to implement the OMP’s
recommendations. Sri Lanka Army, Navy, Air Force and Police have reiterated their
commitment to preventing any form of threats, harassment and intimidation against families
of the missing and disappeared and to offer their full cooperation to investigations involving
disappearances and related crimes.
Amnesty
Amnesty International is not aware of any formal orders by government institutions such as the
Ministry of Defence or the Office of the President to this effect.
Generally, the surveillance, threats, intimidation, harassment continue, in varying degrees. Specific
recent incidents are detailed below. Amnesty International also notes these in an op-ed.5
In July 2018, Srishobana Yogalimgam, an anti-enforced disappearances activist, was assaulted in
Jaffna.
Also, in July 2018, unidentified motorists assaulted human rights defender Amitha Priyanthi and
snatched the court documents of the case of her murdered brother which she is vigorously pursuing.
Sandhya Ekneligoda, who is a prominent disappearance activist- wife of disappeared journalist Prageeth
Eknaligoda- was smeared as a supporter of the LTTE and was taunted with threats of disappearance, death
and violence against her children in a series of menacing social media posts in June 2018. This was
following the conviction and sentencing of the Secretary General of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), a
Buddhist group, for threatening Sandhya in court. See our press release on this6.
Furthermore, on the 9th anniversary campaign around Prageeth’s disappearance in January 2019,
Sandhya was subject to more intimidation. Police stood by and watched with no intervention to
the activist.7
6
9
7
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/01/sri-lanka-the-year-in-rights/
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/06/sri-lanka-deplorable-threats-against-human-rights-defender/
See the following link for more: https://twitter.com/dinushikad1/status/1088429444082020353
A/HRC/42/40/Add.1
5
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