Lanka Files
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Opposition lawmaker Rauff Hakeem slams the Sri Lanka Attorney General’s department that 'has been complicit in many politically motivated prosecutions’ for opposing the establishment of an Independent Public Prosecutors office to handle cases on serious human rights allegations.
November 19, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Opposition lawmaker Rauff Hakeem slams the Sri Lanka Attorney General’s department that 'has been complicit in many politically motivated prosecutions’ for opposing the establishment of an Independent Public Prosecutors office to handle cases on serious human rights allegations.
70-year-old Buddhist monk Naotunne Vijitha found guilty of 8 charges of sexual penetration of a child under 16 and 9 charges of committing an indecent act with a child under 16. A County Court jury found him guilty of historical sex offences against 6 girls at a Melbourne temple.
November 1, 2025 at 1:20 AM
70-year-old Buddhist monk Naotunne Vijitha found guilty of 8 charges of sexual penetration of a child under 16 and 9 charges of committing an indecent act with a child under 16. A County Court jury found him guilty of historical sex offences against 6 girls at a Melbourne temple.
The court has been informed that excavations of the Colombo Port mass grave, led by JMO specialist Dr. Hewage and forensic archaeologist Prof. Raj Somadeva, from which over 100 skeletons were exhumed, have concluded.
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October 21, 2025 at 2:33 PM
The court has been informed that excavations of the Colombo Port mass grave, led by JMO specialist Dr. Hewage and forensic archaeologist Prof. Raj Somadeva, from which over 100 skeletons were exhumed, have concluded.
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MP Thurairajah Raviharan slams Sri Lanka archeology for alleged 'distortion of history and aiding a genocide' by erecting new billboards describing the Kurunthurmalai site as 'Kurundi' - an exclusively Sinhala Buddhist heritage despite Hindus worshipping a Sivan Kovil there
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October 19, 2025 at 5:24 AM
MP Thurairajah Raviharan slams Sri Lanka archeology for alleged 'distortion of history and aiding a genocide' by erecting new billboards describing the Kurunthurmalai site as 'Kurundi' - an exclusively Sinhala Buddhist heritage despite Hindus worshipping a Sivan Kovil there
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The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka requests a fortnight's time to inform the government's position on the resolution on Sri Lanka adopted at the Geneva Conference, the steps being taken in response to it, and the recommendations of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
October 10, 2025 at 6:39 AM
The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka requests a fortnight's time to inform the government's position on the resolution on Sri Lanka adopted at the Geneva Conference, the steps being taken in response to it, and the recommendations of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
A monument built to the memory of tens of thousands of war dead and forcibly disappeared Tamils near the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna has been demolished.
UN Rights Chief Volker Turk who visited Sri Lanka last June is among those who have paid tribute there.
UN Rights Chief Volker Turk who visited Sri Lanka last June is among those who have paid tribute there.
October 10, 2025 at 5:34 AM
A monument built to the memory of tens of thousands of war dead and forcibly disappeared Tamils near the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna has been demolished.
UN Rights Chief Volker Turk who visited Sri Lanka last June is among those who have paid tribute there.
UN Rights Chief Volker Turk who visited Sri Lanka last June is among those who have paid tribute there.
IMF Staff Reaches Staff-Level Agreement on the 5th Review Under Sri Lanka’s Extended Fund Facility Arrangement
"The 2026 Budget should be in line with program parameters to continue building fiscal space on the back of strong revenue measures and prudent spending execution"
"The 2026 Budget should be in line with program parameters to continue building fiscal space on the back of strong revenue measures and prudent spending execution"
October 10, 2025 at 5:14 AM
IMF Staff Reaches Staff-Level Agreement on the 5th Review Under Sri Lanka’s Extended Fund Facility Arrangement
"The 2026 Budget should be in line with program parameters to continue building fiscal space on the back of strong revenue measures and prudent spending execution"
"The 2026 Budget should be in line with program parameters to continue building fiscal space on the back of strong revenue measures and prudent spending execution"
UNCED recommends Sri Lanka to ensure that the investigation and prosecution of cases of enforced disappearance are expressly and systematically excluded from the competence of military courts and fall within the exclusive competence of the ordinary criminal courts.
October 10, 2025 at 5:09 AM
UNCED recommends Sri Lanka to ensure that the investigation and prosecution of cases of enforced disappearance are expressly and systematically excluded from the competence of military courts and fall within the exclusive competence of the ordinary criminal courts.
Police requested Polgahawela Magistrate to summon the navy commander to provide information to help with investigations into a disappearance in 2010. CID informed court that navy chief repeatedly failed to provide documents requested by CID a year ago.
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September 27, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Police requested Polgahawela Magistrate to summon the navy commander to provide information to help with investigations into a disappearance in 2010. CID informed court that navy chief repeatedly failed to provide documents requested by CID a year ago.
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#SriLanka : Permission granted by the Kaluwanchikudy Magistrate’s Court to commence excavations of a mass grave site in the Batticaloa district where over 150 Muslim devotees, who were massacred 35 years ago, are suspected to have been buried.
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September 21, 2025 at 6:52 PM
#SriLanka : Permission granted by the Kaluwanchikudy Magistrate’s Court to commence excavations of a mass grave site in the Batticaloa district where over 150 Muslim devotees, who were massacred 35 years ago, are suspected to have been buried.
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Sri Lanka’s deputy defence minister’s claim that the country’s armed forces have not committed war crimes has been condemned by north-based Tamil representatives.
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September 21, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Sri Lanka’s deputy defence minister’s claim that the country’s armed forces have not committed war crimes has been condemned by north-based Tamil representatives.
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Sri Lanka government has come under heavy criticism for using PTA - the widely condemned draconian counter terror law - to question, Kanapathipillai Kumanan, an internationally acclaimed Tamil journalist from the Vanni region.
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August 9, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Sri Lanka government has come under heavy criticism for using PTA - the widely condemned draconian counter terror law - to question, Kanapathipillai Kumanan, an internationally acclaimed Tamil journalist from the Vanni region.
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Four skeletons found on Saturday (02) brings the total of bodies discovered at Sri Lanka’s Chemmani mass grave complex to 126. 117 of them including infants have been recovered from three forensic excavation sites.
August 3, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Four skeletons found on Saturday (02) brings the total of bodies discovered at Sri Lanka’s Chemmani mass grave complex to 126. 117 of them including infants have been recovered from three forensic excavation sites.
Journalists gathering at the Jaffna Press Club speak of prevalent threats against the media in northern Sri Lanka at the commemoration of Sahathevan Nilakshan, a young Tamil journalist gunned down eight years ago.
August 3, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Journalists gathering at the Jaffna Press Club speak of prevalent threats against the media in northern Sri Lanka at the commemoration of Sahathevan Nilakshan, a young Tamil journalist gunned down eight years ago.
As the number of bodies found at Sri Lanka's 3rd largest mass grave in Chemmani goes upto 118, investigators decide to scan the area around the already excavated area on Aug 3 and 4 with help of Jayawardenapura University as ministry of defence had not granted earlier request.
August 1, 2025 at 12:42 AM
As the number of bodies found at Sri Lanka's 3rd largest mass grave in Chemmani goes upto 118, investigators decide to scan the area around the already excavated area on Aug 3 and 4 with help of Jayawardenapura University as ministry of defence had not granted earlier request.
“Appoint international forensic experts to investigate mass graves discovered in Chemmani, Mannar and other places.”
Activists and victims in the Jaffna district join the protest organised by the North East Society Movement (NESM) in the eight districts of the region.
Activists and victims in the Jaffna district join the protest organised by the North East Society Movement (NESM) in the eight districts of the region.
July 28, 2025 at 4:42 AM
“Appoint international forensic experts to investigate mass graves discovered in Chemmani, Mannar and other places.”
Activists and victims in the Jaffna district join the protest organised by the North East Society Movement (NESM) in the eight districts of the region.
Activists and victims in the Jaffna district join the protest organised by the North East Society Movement (NESM) in the eight districts of the region.
“The International community should act without fail to establish an international justice mechanism to deliver justice for the forcibly disappeared”
Activists and victims in the Trincomalee district join the North & East protest demanding justice for Tamils.
Activists and victims in the Trincomalee district join the North & East protest demanding justice for Tamils.
July 28, 2025 at 1:53 AM
“The International community should act without fail to establish an international justice mechanism to deliver justice for the forcibly disappeared”
Activists and victims in the Trincomalee district join the North & East protest demanding justice for Tamils.
Activists and victims in the Trincomalee district join the North & East protest demanding justice for Tamils.
The number of bodies found in the Chemmani mass grave complex exceeds 100. Investigators are awaiting Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence clearance to scan and identify the extent of area that could possibly contain evidence of more bodies, says attorney at law VS Niranjan.
July 28, 2025 at 1:43 AM
The number of bodies found in the Chemmani mass grave complex exceeds 100. Investigators are awaiting Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence clearance to scan and identify the extent of area that could possibly contain evidence of more bodies, says attorney at law VS Niranjan.
Following complaint over Sri Lanka police bid to encroach a half an acre private land adjoining the Omanthai police station, the government authority on land administration in the northern Vavuniya district has banned access to the premises.
July 8, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Following complaint over Sri Lanka police bid to encroach a half an acre private land adjoining the Omanthai police station, the government authority on land administration in the northern Vavuniya district has banned access to the premises.
‘A child in Gaza has exactly the same rights as a child in Israel’
UN rights chief Volker Turk on the first day of his Sri Lanka visit, refers to what he calls as 'one of the radical aspirations' of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
UN rights chief Volker Turk on the first day of his Sri Lanka visit, refers to what he calls as 'one of the radical aspirations' of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
June 25, 2025 at 4:29 PM
‘A child in Gaza has exactly the same rights as a child in Israel’
UN rights chief Volker Turk on the first day of his Sri Lanka visit, refers to what he calls as 'one of the radical aspirations' of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
UN rights chief Volker Turk on the first day of his Sri Lanka visit, refers to what he calls as 'one of the radical aspirations' of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk in Sri Lanka for a three day visit meets Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and Deputy foreign minister Arun Hemachandra at Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sri Lanka
June 24, 2025 at 10:51 AM
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk in Sri Lanka for a three day visit meets Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and Deputy foreign minister Arun Hemachandra at Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sri Lanka
Newly discovered mass graves in #SriLanka, where Chemmani massacre took place, which is considered the first time a court sentenced army officers accused of a state crime against Tamils, attracted attention in North & international human rights community.
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June 20, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Newly discovered mass graves in #SriLanka, where Chemmani massacre took place, which is considered the first time a court sentenced army officers accused of a state crime against Tamils, attracted attention in North & international human rights community.
lankafiles.medium.com/unavoidable-...
lankafiles.medium.com/unavoidable-...
"Serious breakdown in the procedural integrity of the system" BASL urges Sri Lanka president to focus on institutional reforms in the country's prison system after the president's office claimed that a prisoner had been set free under the guise of a presidential pardon.
June 12, 2025 at 12:37 PM
"Serious breakdown in the procedural integrity of the system" BASL urges Sri Lanka president to focus on institutional reforms in the country's prison system after the president's office claimed that a prisoner had been set free under the guise of a presidential pardon.
At least one human skeleton has been unearthed at the most recently discovered Chemmani mass grave in war torn Jaffna. Investigators led by Archeologist Prof Raj Somadeva and Judicial Medical Officer Selliah Pranavan who found seven human skulls earlier suspect more to be buried.
June 4, 2025 at 8:29 AM
At least one human skeleton has been unearthed at the most recently discovered Chemmani mass grave in war torn Jaffna. Investigators led by Archeologist Prof Raj Somadeva and Judicial Medical Officer Selliah Pranavan who found seven human skulls earlier suspect more to be buried.
The imminent visit of UN human rights chief Volker Turk to Sri Lanka has raised suspicions among Tamils in the war-torn North and East.
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June 3, 2025 at 11:16 AM
The imminent visit of UN human rights chief Volker Turk to Sri Lanka has raised suspicions among Tamils in the war-torn North and East.
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