As 26th February, 2019 marks one year since the reprehensible anti-Muslim riot in the South-Eastern and Central provinces of the country, this would be an opportune time to take stock of where we stand as a country today, especially with regards to the Freedom of Religion or Belief (FORB).
On 26th February, 2018, a group of youth (self-proclaimed guardians of the Sinhala Buddhist identity) proceeded to wreak havoc in the Ampara region, as they stormed into restaurants owned by Muslims, falsely alleging that the food sold at these restaurants contained a sterilization pill aimed at Sinhala Buddhists customers. The youth threatened the owners, caused damage to the restaurants and left deep wounds in their wake. [1] In addition to several shops, a mosque was also vandalised in the early hours of 27th February. [2]
On 4th March, 2018, violence and hate of a greater magnitude were unleashed on Muslims in the Digana and Teldeniya areas, in the Central hills, with shops, businesses and vehicles belonging to Muslims being looted, vandalised, and set on fire. Some of the Mosques in the area fared no better, and the once graceful white mosques lay scarred and desecrated. [3] The horrific incidents also claimed the life of one youth in the Digana region, a 26-year-old young man, with many youthful dreams and aspirations yet unfulfilled. [4] Many saw their life savings, livelihoods and certificates which were evidence of long and hard hours of study and achievement, literally go up in flames under the hands of the ruthless mobs.
What was all the more disturbing, especially to the victims of these brutal attacks was the silence and inaction on the part of law enforcement, who are specifically mandated to act with impartiality and responsibility in such situations. Reports of Special Task Force (STF) personnel presumptuously joining the violent camp, instead of protecting the victims were a severe blow, outraging all those opposed to these attacks and rendering the victims all the more vulnerable. [5]
Several arrests were made subsequent to the riots in February and March, 2018, and proceedings were instituted against some of the perpetrators in the Magistrate’s Court. [6] However, to date, reports suggest that no progress has been made in holding the perpetrators to account, no indictments have been filed by the Attorney General’s Department and justice is still pending for those whose lives were brutally interrupted. [7] Further exacerbating this lethargy, inaction and lack of will to bring the perpetrators to justice, was the bailing out of three persons involved in the anti-Muslim riots, including Amit Weeresesinghe, who is the leader of the Mahason Balakaya and one of the chief instigators of the riots. [8] As much as this shocks the ears of those who hoped for justice, this is sadly not as surprising as it should be. Impunity for perpetrators of FORB violations has become more the norm than the exception.
The Freedom of Religion or Belief has been entrenched in the Sri Lankan Constitution as a Fundamental Right that is also absolute and justiciable. Article 10 of the Constitution states that “Every person is entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.” [9]
This right is buttressed by Article 14(1)(e) which states that “Every citizen is entitled to… the freedom, either by himself or in association with others, and either in public or in private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching” [10] and Article 12(2) which provides that “No citizen shall be discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, language, caste, sex, political opinion, place of birth or any one of such grounds”. [11]
For instance, in the year 2018 alone, 86 documented incidents of FORB violations were reported against Christians across the country. [12] These incidents range from arson attacks against a home of a Christians and a church, threats and intimidation hurled against pastors and Christians by individuals, local authority officers, and police officers, and denial of burial to Christians in the public cemeteries. [13]
In one particular incident in January 2018, in the Vaharai area in the Batticaloa District, around 500 individuals from the area surrounded a funeral house, where a Christian had died and prevented the deceased from being buried in the public cemetery in the area. The family of the deceased was ultimately forced to bury their loved one approximately 20 km away in another village, with police standing guard due to threats from local residents to exhume the body. Added to the grief of losing a family member, the family had to bear this additional trauma, for merely being Christians. [14]
In September, 2018, in the Beliatta region in the Hambantota District, while the Sunday worship service was ongoing, a group of approximately 100 individuals from the adjacent villages surrounded the place of worship, damaged a window, two motorcycles parked outside, and removed religious symbols hanging on the front door. Some of them then proceeded to forcibly enter the premises and threaten the pastor and his family with death and demanded they stop gathering people for worship activities and leave the village. A Buddhist monk then arrived and reiterated the mob’s demands and further escalated the tension by claiming to have previously warned the pastor. When police officers attempted to escort the pastors out of the premises, the mob would not allow the pastor to leave. Finally, 10 more police officers had to come in order to escort the pastor to the Beliatta Police Station in order to lodge a complaint. The pastor continued to face threats as stones were pelted at the pastor’s residence in the night, with some of the stones landing on the bed where the pastor’s child was sleeping. [15]
Over the past year, incidents of FORB violations have also been reported against Hindus. These incidents have constituted vandalizing of kovils and desecration of the statues in the kovils.[16] Whilst complaints have been filed with the police regarding these incidents and a few cases too have been filed, to date, there has been no marked progress in investigations or in bringing the perpetrators to justice. There have also been complaints that lands belonging to Hindu kovils are being taken over by the Archaeological Department, thus preventing worshippers from being able to access the kovils and carrying out worship activities. [17]
In December, 2018, several Buddhist statues were vandalized in the Mawanella area and the police have reported that they have made arrests in this regard. [18]
[1] Sri Lanka Brief, Sri Lanka anti- Muslim riots, 6th March 2018,
http://srilankabrief.org/2018/03/sri-lanka-anti-muslim-riots-update-on-kandy-and-related-incidents-as-at-06th-march-2018-10-00-a-m-sl-time/
[2] Aljazeera, Mosque vandalized in Ampara, 27th February 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/mosque-vandalized-sri-lanka-ampara-180227144548660.html
[4] Sri Lanka Brief, Sri Lanka anti- Muslim riots, 6th March 2018, http://srilankabrief.org/2018/03/sri-lanka-anti-muslim-riots-update-on-kandy-and-related-incidents-as-at-06th-march-2018-10-00-a-m-sl-time/
[5] Ruki Fernando, STF brutality against Muslims in Digana: March 5, 13th March 2018, https://groundviews.org/2018/03/13/stf-brutality-against-muslims-in-digana-march-5/
[6] Daily News, Tense situation in Digana: Army called in, 5th March 2018, http://www.dailynews.lk/2018/03/06/local/144725/tense-situation-digana-army-called; Adaderana, 24 arrested in Digana and Teldeniya remanded, 6th March 2018, http://www.adaderana.lk/news/46258/24-arrested-in-teldeniya-and-digana-remanded; Sri Lanka Brief, Sri Lanka anti- Muslim riots, 6th March 2018, http://srilankabrief.org/2018/03/sri-lanka-anti-muslim-riots-update-on-kandy-and-related-incidents-as-at-06th-march-2018-10-00-a-m-sl-time/
[8] Daily Mirror, Mahasohon Balakaya Leader, 9 others granted bail, 29th October 2018, http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Mahashon-Balakaya-Leader-others-granted-bail-157548.html; Daily News, Amith Weerasinghe, two others released on bail, 1st November 2018, http://www.dailynews.lk/2018/11/01/law-order/167190/amith-weerasinghe-two-others-released-bail
[9] Article 10, Constitution of the Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka
[10] Article 14(1)(e), Constitution of the Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka
[11] Article 12(2), Constitution of the Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka
[12] https://slchurchattacks.crowdmap.com/
[13] https://slchurchattacks.crowdmap.com/
[14] https://slchurchattacks.crowdmap.com/reports/view/835
[15] https://slchurchattacks.crowdmap.com/reports/view/764
[16] Tamil Guardian, Hindu temple vandalized in Jaffna, 24th February 2018, https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/hindu-temple-vandalised-jaffna; Tamil Guardian, 3 Hindu Shrines vandalized in Mannar, 13 February 2018, https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/3-hindu-shrines-vandalised-mannar
[17] Tamil Guardian, Sri Lanka’s archaeological department takes over Tamil temple lands in Vavuniya, 12th August 2018, https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/sri-lanka%E2%80%99s-archaeology-department-takes-over-tamil-temple-lands-vavuniya; Tamil Guardian, Sri Lanka’s archaeological department occupies land in Trincomalee, 2nd December 2018, https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/sri-lanka%E2%80%99s-archaeology-department-occupies-land-trincomalee
[18] Daily Mirror, Suspect arrested for damaging Buddha statue, 26th December 2018, http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Suspect-arrested-for-damaging-Buddha-statue-160308.html; Sunday Times, More suspects to be arrested for vandalizing Buddha statues, 30th December 2018, http://www.sundaytimes.lk/181230/news/more-suspects-to-be-arrested-for-damaging-buddha-statues-327567.html
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