UN Special Rapporteur Voule calls on leaders to not dismiss people's desire for rule of law & democracy

UN Special Rapporteur, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, has called on the country's political leaders to not dismiss people's desire for freedom, rule of law and democracy or undermine the progress that has been hard-fought particularly in the light of upcoming elections.

The Special Rapporteur who is currently in the country to assess rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the country, made these remarks today (July 26) while addressing a media briefing at the UN compound in Colombo.

Further, Mr. Voule said that while the country's constitution protects the rights to both freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, however, the application of a number of laws jeopardized those rights, including sections of the penal code, the ICCPR Act as well as the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Further, a statement issued at the briefing said the Vagrants Ordinance, in particular, was being used to target LGBTI minorities.

"It has been brought to my attention that these laws are frequently being applied in a discriminatory manner against those people organising around specific issues such as disappearances, land rights, livelihood and access to resources, and development projects," Mr. Voule said.

The Special Rapporteur also expressed concern over the growing prevalence of hate speech in the country, which increased notably after the April attacks he said.

"While legislation is in place to combat hate speech, .... the legislation is not applied with an even hand. Discriminatory and violent rhetoric, particularly by members of the majority community frequently goes unpunished," he said adding that the situation is exacerbated by the use of social media to fan the flames of hatred and spread misinformation.

"This is a serious threat to the existence of a respectful and peaceful dialogue among sectors of society, an essential element for any representative democracy," Mr Voule said.

The US expert pointed out that if the Sri Lankan government requested assistance to bring in best practices, his office is ready to assist.

He observed that the police and security forces viewed civil society activists, protestors and trade union from a security threat perception, a common issue with many security establishments of post-war countries. However, he noted that in his interactions with the security forces, police and the Ministry of Defence had been constructive. 

The Special Rapporteur's conclusions and recommendations will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2020.

(Reporting by Asiri Fernando)