CSOs are reacting to the NGO Secretariat Circular on 1st July.

The reactions are coming up from all the corners to the 1st July circular of the director NGO secretariat.
Following is the CSO statement which we want to send to NGO secretariat.
At the same time there will be a People's Gathering on the statement on 17th July, 4.00-5.00 pm at in front of the Fort Railway Station.

UPHOLD FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY

Against the backdrop of the growing authoritarianism of the Rajapaksha regime identified by:

a)       the dangerous and deepening deficit in democratic governance in our country as attested to by institutionalized militarization, the collapse of the rule of law and religious intolerance and

b)       the corrosive culture of impunity in respect of human rights violations and the demonstrable ineffectiveness of human rights protection mechanisms,

c)       as well as the shrinking of space for civil society and the denial of a civil society contribution to public policy discourse,

We the undersigned organizations unequivocally condemn the politics of religious intolerance and hate speech directed against the religious minorities most recently demonstrated by the orchestrated violence against the Muslim community  and the failure to hold accountable those instigating/responsible for the violence. We also categorically reject the arbitrary attempts by the regime to muzzle civil society through directives of the Ministry of Defence with no basis in law and in violation of Sri Lanka’s constitutional guarantees and international obligations and pledges, in addition to being flagrant violations of the fundamental rights of the freedom of speech, expression, assembly and association.

We resolve to come together in an alliance to:

a) combat this authoritarianism and reverse it,

b) strengthen human rights protection in our country,

c) advance the politics of toleration and

d) ensure that our country is a multi- ethnic and multi-religious functioning democracy whose governance is firmly rooted in the fundamental values and principles of democratic governance for all of its peoples without fear or favour.

We further resolve to expand our alliance to all civil society actors who agree with our basic values and aims and who have a demonstrable record of their commitment to them without qualification.  

Following is the banner display and circulate on the People's Gathering on 17th July.

“Stop the Promotion of Hatred and Faith-based Violence” – UN Rights Experts urge Sri Lanka

This piece shows the continuous pressure mounting on GOSL on the religious violence in SL. One hand we are talking about the ethnic, religious harmony in the country while on the other hand violating their basic rights, right to life and right to freedom of expression.
However, now the situation became to the peak as the law breaking thugs are challenging the law and order as well.

As the citizen of Sri Lanka, we all have a role to play in this juncture to come out and demand the equal treatment to all in front of the law, if the rule of law to be established.




The report of the OHCHR of Geneva could be seen as following link and this is followed by the text message.


Herman
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14812&LangID=E

GENEVA (2 July 2014) – Three United Nations experts on freedom of religion, minority issues, and summary executions today called on Sri Lanka to adopt urgent measures to stop the promotion of racial and faith-based hatred, and violence against Muslim and Christian communities by Buddhist groups with extremist views, and bring perpetrators of this violence to justice.

 

More than 350 violent attacks against Muslims and over 150 attacks against Christians have been reported in Sri Lanka in the last two years. Muslim and Christian communities are reportedly subjected to hate speech, discrimination, attacks and acts of violence throughout Sri Lanka frequently.

 

On 15 June 2014, a local group promoting extremist Sinhalese nationalist views, Bodu Bala Sena (BBS – The Buddhist Power Force), staged a large protest rally in Aluthgama that resulted in inter-communal violence, during which four people lost their lives and about 80 were injured. Homes and shops owned by Muslims, as well as mosques were vandalized and some set ablaze.

 

“This violence is fueled by the atmosphere of impunity in Sri Lanka,” the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Heiner Bielefeldt, said. “Impunity and inadequate response from the police and judicial authorities aimed at protecting the lives, physical security, the property and places of worship of these communities may encourage further attacks and a risk of spiralling violence.”

 

Mr. Bielefeldt urged Sri Lanka to guarantee the right to freedom of religion or belief of members of minority religious communities and stop any advocacy of racial and religious hatred.

 

“The Government must end the violence and put in place urgent protective measures to ensure the personal security of all individuals belonging to religious minority communities living in the country,” the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsák, stressed.

 

“The full range of rights of religious minorities must be guaranteed in law and protected in practice,” she noted welcoming the President’s announcement of the appointment of a high level panel to investigate those incidents.

 

The Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns, called on the Sri Lankan authorities “to take urgent and firm measures to bring the perpetrators of killings to justice, and ensure the immediate adoption of robust protective measures.”

 

“Showing determination to ensure accountability in such cases must be a key element of the Government’s efforts to prevent the attacks and guarantee the safety of the members of religious minority communities” Mr. Heyns said.

 

Alongside BBS, other groups promoting extremist views in Sri Lanka, such as the Sinhala Ravaya and the Hela Bodu Powura, purport to be the protectors of Sinhala Buddhism, which they claim is being threatened by Muslim and Christian religious minorities.

 

These extremist groups reportedly proclaim the racial superiority of Sinhala Buddhists and spread fear among local population, for example, through allegations that Buddha statues are being bulldozed by religious minorities, or that evangelical Christians are forcibly converting youths and sick patients in their hospital beds, or that Muslims are smuggling drugs and birth control pills in order to destroy Sinhalese people and prevent their reproduction.

 

“These statements contribute to spread a climate of fear among Sinhala Buddhists, who constitute the majority population in Sri Lanka, and resentment towards minorities,” the UN human rights experts said.