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Call for review of Sri Lanka’s contempt laws
A human rights group has called on the government to make a comprehensive review of the contempt laws in Sri Lanka.

ARTICLE 19 said " Our submission called for a clear and narrow definition of the offence of contempt, for abolishing that aspect of contempt that prevents criticism of judges and for replacing the summary procedure with a fairer system for dealing with contempt cases.

"In light of the UN Committee's decision, we again call on the authorities to amend the law relating to contempt and to bring it into line with international standards in this area", a statement from ARTICLE 19 said.

The statement came following the UN Human Rights Committee, tasked with ensuring implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),holding Sri Lanka had breached its human rights obligations for sentencing Tony Fernando to one year imprisonment for contempt of court.

The Committee ordered Sri Lanka to pay compensation to Fernando and to make legislative changes to avoid similar violations in future. ARTICLE 19 reiterates its earlier calls for the authorities to comprehensively address the way contempt is dealt with in Sri Lanka.

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