The International Monetary Fund (IMF) should urge Sri Lanka’s government to abandon the proposed Non-Governmental Organizations (Registration and Supervision) Act, impose a moratorium on the use of the Online Safety Act, and amend the Anti-Terrorism Bill to ensure that it respects human rights standards, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

The IMF should urge Sri Lanka’s government to abandon draft legislation that would severely curtail civil society and jeopardize the IMF’s programme in the country, HRW said in a letter to 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.

The letter also stated;

The IMF’s US$3 billion bailout of Sri Lanka – which is linked to government commitments to reform – 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’s administration that would severely restrict basic rights. The Online Safety Act, enacted in January, creates vague and broad speech-related offenses punishable with lengthy prison terms. The Anti-Terrorism Bill, currently before parliament, contains 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.

“As 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,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The protests helped bring President Wickremesinghe to power, but instead of listening to calls for change, he’s clamping down on peaceful dissent.”

A 2023 IMF study of Sri Lanka known as the Governance Diagnostic Assessment stated that “[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.” However, the study found that civil society’s participation in oversight and monitoring of government actions has been “restricted by limited transparency, the lack of platforms for inclusive and participatory governance, and by broad application of counter-terrorism rules.” As a result, “opportunities for public participation and oversight of official behaviour, including by civil society, are increasingly restricted.”

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’t comply with cumbersome administrative procedures.

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 “violate the fundamental rights to freedom of association and expression,” while damaging the delivery of services by civil society organizations, including to “the many families who are struggling to make ends meet in the midst of severe economic hardship.”

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, in his March 1 update to the UN Human Rights Council on the crisis in Sri Lanka, said he was “concerned by the introduction of new or proposed laws with potentially far-reaching impact on fundamental rights and freedoms … 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.”

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.

“The IMF and other international partners supporting Sri Lanka’s economic recovery recognize that this crisis has its roots in misgovernance and corruption,” Ganguly said. “If their efforts are to be successful, they need to stand firm against the government’s attempts to curtail fundamental civil and political rights.”

The Election Commission formally announced that the 2024 Presidential election will be held on a day between September 17 and October 16.

The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court today issued an order preventing State Minister Diana Gamage from leaving the country. Colombo Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage made this order in connection with a magisterial inquiry filed against her for allegedly committing offences under the Immigrants and Emigrants Act.

A total of 37 new liquor permits (FL4) were issued by the Excise Department during the first four months of this year, State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said today. He told Parliament that 16 out of the 37 were issued to super markets.

Claiming that Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa must take full responsibility over the issues faced by the country, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said today that if Premadasa had taken up the premiership on April 10, there would have been no issues.

There is no legal barrier for the non-citizens to register a political party, Former Chairman of Elections Commission Mahinda Deshapriya said yesterday.

It has been reported that a group in the government ranks is attempting to file a case with the Supreme Court over the legitimacy of the main opposition party – Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).

Leg-spinner Viyaskanth Vijayakanth was handed his Indian Premier League debut today after he was named in the Sunrisers Hyderabad playing XI against the Lucknow Super Giants. Vijayakanth was drafted into the Sunrisers squad after Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga was ruled out of the tournament due to injury.

The Supreme Court in another landmark judgment today held that State Minister Diana Gamage is disqualified to be a Member of Parliament and is thus not entitled to hold office as a Member of Parliament, as she was not a citizen of Sri Lanka.

Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security along with Controller General of the Department of Immigration and Emigration have been summoned before the Committee on Public Finance tomorrow, CoPF Chairman Dr. Harsha De Silva said today.

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) will hold a discussion shortly to decide on who will fill the national list slot that has fallen vacant as a result of the Supreme Court decision that Diana Gamage cannot function as an MP as she is not a citizen of Sri Lanka, party General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara said today.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) founder Basil Rajapaksa reasserted yesterday that his party still believes the general election should precede the presidential elections but President Ranil Wickremesinghe has a contrasting stand, according to an informed source of the party.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe stressed that the enhancement of the rural economy pivots on agricultural advancement. He highlighted the pivotal role of dedicated government officials at the grassroots level in ensuring the success of various government initiatives aimed at rural development, notably the agricultural modernization program.

A deal struck by Sri Lanka with IVS-GBS-VFS Global, a private contractor, is worth 840 million dollars over its 12-year lifetime, opposition legislator S M Marikkar said in parliament. The firm was charging 18.5 dollars per visa and a 5 to 7 dollar ‘convenience fee’ on top of the government visa fee from tourists trying to enter Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said he has objected to fees charged from foreign tourists by VFS Global, a private company, though he has not resigned from cabinet.

Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister Tiran Alles who is also in charge of visa issuance under the Department of Immigration and Emigration defended the newly appointed visa facilitating agency VFS-led consortium, new visa system, and accused sabotage attempts by a few handful immigration officials for a recent controversy that has gone viral in social media.

A revision application filed by Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe challenging the legality of the enjoining order issued by the Colombo District Court preventing him from functioning as the acting chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) was today dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

Indo-Pacific Regional Director of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Ben Mellor met NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the JVP Head Office this afternoon.

Chief Opposition Whip MP Lakshman Kiriella raised concerns in Parliament today over the newly introduced visa issuance system at the Katunayake Airport, claiming that the Parliament was not informed of the decision on the charges of global visa processing service, VFS Global.

Sri Lanka tourism witnessed a drop in momentum in April with the number of international visitors falling below the 200,000 mark for the first time this year.

Uncertainty looms over the relaunch of the Japan -financed light rail project (LRT) even after the country’s debt restructuring process is concluded since Japan has decided not to discuss it , according to an official of the Japanese government.