Sri Lanka: Rapper, writer and journalists targeted amid proposal of a restrictive NGO law and ongoing impunity for past crimes

The state of civic space in Sri Lanka is rated as ‘repressed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. Ongoing concerns include restrictions and disruption of peaceful protests - at times with excessive use of force - and the stifling of journalists. Activists have also been targeted and criminalised using defamation and counter-terror laws, and there has been a systematic failure to address past crimes against them.

In May 2026, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) recommended to the President to undertake legislative reforms to strengthen their independence and human rights protection. The proposed amendments include: strengthening the HRCSL’s mandate to engage with international human rights mechanisms; ensuring greater financial autonomy; promoting pluralism and gender diversity in staff appointments; improving transparency and inclusiveness in the appointment process of commissioners and recognising non-compliance as an offence of contempt against the authority of the Commission.

In July 2026, the UN Human Rights Office urged Sri Lankan authorities to conduct a prompt, independent and transparent investigation into recent incidents of prison violence at Negombo Prison following deadly clashes and allegations of torture involving transferred inmates, leaving at least 28 people dead, and injuring more than 100 others.

In recent months, the government detained a rapper over his songs, police tore down a remembrance banner, and books by a Tamil writer remain seized. Journalists were intimidated and assaulted, anti-terror police summoned a Tamil activist and author for interrogation and there is continued impunity around the massacre of humanitarians two decades ago. There are concerns about a proposed NGO law as police threaten Jaffna protesters during a demonstration while protest over a rapper's arrest faced intimidation and surveillance.

Expression

Government detains rapper over songs

In June 2026, police in Sri Lanka arrested a rapper on terrorism charges over the video of a song he posted online (picture above). It is the latest abuse of a draconian counterterrorism law still in use years after successive governments have promised to repeal it.

According to Human Rights Watch, Sangeethsan Ganeskumar, 24, known by his stage name Hiphop Sangee, from Udayanagar-West, Kilinochchi was detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) on 2nd June 2026. He was produced in court the following day and sent to pretrial detention until 17th June 2026. Police alleged that songs he performed, and later shared on social media, glorified the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist armed group that waged a 26-year civil war against the Sri Lankan state and was defeated in 2009.

The counterterrorism law remains in regular use, often to target members of Tamil and Muslim communities and perceived critics of the government. The law grants authorities sweeping powers to impose prolonged detention without charge or judicial oversight and has frequently enabled torture to secure convictions based on forced confessions.

The arrest triggered demonstrations across various cities including in Kilinochchi, Valvettithurai, Vavuniya and Mannar, drawing students, artists, civil society groups and the families of the disappeared.

A petition seeking bail was filed at the Jaffna High Court, after which the Attorney General moved to proceed under Section 120 of the Penal Code, which relates to the offence of exciting disaffection, rather than under the PTA. It criminalises ‘exciting disaffection’. He was released on bail on 12th June 2026.

Police tear down Mullivaikkal remembrance banner and threaten youth in Jaffna

Police reportedly tore down a banner erected in remembrance of the Tamil genocide in Point Pedro, Jaffna on 16th May 2026.

According to the Tamil Guardian, the banner had been put up by residents of Point Pedro ahead of the 17th Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day scheduled for 18th May 2026. It featured photographs of Balachandran and Isaipriya, whose deaths became enduring symbols of the atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan military in Mullivaikkal alongside the words, “We will never forget, we will never forgive".

According to residents, officers from the Point Pedro Police arrived in civilian clothing at around 11.00 am and removed the banner after cutting it down.

A local youth who later went to inquire about the incident was allegedly threatened by the occupying police officers, who warned that a case could be filed against him. The youth’s personal details were also reportedly obtained by the officers during the exchange.

Residents further stated that Sri Lankan police have been exerting pressure in several areas to remove Mullivaikkal remembrance banners erected across the region ahead of the annual commemorations.

Books by Tamil writer remain seized

On 1st July 2026, PEN International raised concerns about the continued seizure of copies of two books by award-winning Tamil writer Theepachelvan Piratheepan and called on Sri Lankan authorities to release them without delay.

On 18th March 2026, Sri Lanka Customs seized a consignment of books by Theepachelvan Piratheepan, a Tamil writer and schoolteacher from Kilinochchi in northern Sri Lanka. The shipment contained five titles reprinted in India, including novels, essays, interviews, and collections of previously published newspaper columns.

Following public criticism, customs authorities released three of the books. However, two titles remain seized: Eluththaal Naan Yuddham Seikiren (I Am Waging a War with Words), a collection of interviews published between 2008 and 2024, and Ippoduthum Inge Irandu Thesangal (Even Now There Are Two States), a compilation of previously published newspaper columns.

According to customs authorities, the books were withheld following recommendations from the Ministry of Defence, the Sri Lanka Arts Council, and the State Literary Sub-Committee. Authorities have reportedly claimed that the books contain material falling under Section 120 of Sri Lanka’s Penal Code, a broadly worded provision concerning acts that may ‘excite feelings of disaffection’ toward the state. No court has ruled that the contents are unlawful, and the authorities have not publicly provided a detailed justification for their continued detention

Theepachelvan is a widely respected literary figure whose novels, poetry, essays, and non-fiction writings explore themes of war, memory, loss, reconciliation, and the lived experiences of communities affected by Sri Lanka’s decades-long civil conflict.

Two journalists intimidated and assaulted

The Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association (SLWJA) has strongly condemned the actions of Presidential Media Advisor Chandana Sooriyabandara, accusing him of obstructing, assaulting, and intimidating two Lake House journalists covering the ‘Ehipassiko’ Monk Peace Walk.

According to reports, Buwaneka S. Perera, a journalist attached to the Sunday Observer of the state-owned Lake House institution, said that the confrontation occurred while he was reporting on the peace walk. He stated that Sooriyabandara approached him and another Lake House journalist and claimed that they did not have permission to report on the event, ordering them to leave immediately.

Despite showing his official government issued media identification card from the Department of Government Information, which he was wearing visibly around his neck, Sooriyabandara disregarded these credentials and responded aggressively. Perera was then pushed aside and verbally abused with degrading language. Sooriyabandara continued to insist that he was not allowed to cover the event, repeating his demand and allegedly continuing the verbal abuse.

In a letter addressed to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the association described the incident as “thuggish and atrocious conduct” and said it reflected the government’s media policy.

Journalist threated and intimidated for his reporting

A journalist working in the central hill country was seriously threatened and intimidated by police officers attached to the Hatton and Bogawantalawa police stations.

Sambasivam Satheeskumar, a Malaiyaha Tamil journalist, was subjected to the ordeal while attempting to report on the arrest of a suspect in connection with a murder that took place in the Bogawantalawa area on 23rd May 2026. Officers are alleged to have obstructed him in the course of his duties, verbally abused him, and behaved in a threatening manner.

The incident was confirmed by several press freedom organisations, including Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS). Journalists say the incident is far from isolated. Tamil journalists working in the north, east and plantation regions of the country say intimidation and harassment by police and security forces have become a daily reality.

Regional media organisations and trade unions in the hill country have strongly condemned the incident and are demanding that disciplinary proceedings be initiated against the officers involved without delay.

Online Safety Act to be replaced with revised law

On 26th June 2026, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the government had no intention of implementing the current Online Safety Act and is instead preparing a revised version of the legislation.

Speaking in Parliament, the President said the government had opposed the Online Safety Act when it was originally introduced and believed it required significant changes.

As previously documented, The Online Safety Act, which came into force in February 2024, is inconsistent with Sri Lanka’s international human rights law obligations and is elaborated in a manner likely to undermine human rights guarantees and lead to further shrinking civic space.

The Act threatens the enjoyment of rights to freedom of expression, opinion, and information guaranteed under Article 14(1)(a) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Sri Lanka is a party.

Key concerns include: the overly broad powers of the Online Safety Commission and appointed “experts”; vague and overbroad offences; disproportionate sanctions and punishments; lack of adequate judicial oversight; and disproportionate impact on transgender and gender-diverse persons.

Concerns around the bill were also raised in a communication from UN experts in November 2023.

Association

Anti-terror police summons Tamil activist and author for interrogation

The Counter Terrorism Investigation Division (CTID) summoned prominent Tamil activist and author Dr Ramanathan Nagamani Sri Gnaneswaran for an interrogation in July 2026.

On 31st July 2026, Gnaneswaran received a summons ordering him to appear before the CTID on 4th August 2026 over a speech he made in May 2025 at an event organised by the Christian Solidarity Movement to commemorate the Mullivaikkal genocide.

Gnaneswaran is an Eelam Tamil activist and has authored 'He and That', 'Letters from Prison' and 'International Crimes'.

In September 2025, Gnaneswaran spoke at an event titled “Advancing International Accountability in Sri Lanka” where he stated that the "structural genocide is ongoing under the name of development, land grabbing, colonisation, the suppression of Eelam Tamil voices by employing the Prevention of Terrorism Act, [and the] revision of the history of Eelam Tamils."

The targeting of Tamil activists in the North-East by the state is a longstanding pattern. Tamil activists routinely face surveillance and harassment for their activism.

Continued impunity around massacre of humanitarians two decades ago

It has been 20 years since 17 aid workers from the French humanitarian association Action contre la Faim (ACF) were killed in Muttur, eastern Sri Lanka.

On 4th August 2006, 17 Sri Lankan employees of ACF – 16 Tamils and one Muslim – were found shot dead at close range at the organisation’s office. Despite repeated investigations and commitments by successive governments, no one has been brought to justice for the killings.

The ACF employees had remained in Muttur to provide humanitarian assistance to communities affected by the armed conflict and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, despite escalating hostilities between the Sri Lankan government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Over the past two decades, despite repeated official commitments and domestic investigations (which included a magisterial inquiry, a human rights commission probe, and a commission of inquiry), no accountability for the killing has been established.

Amnesty International said: “Twenty years is far too long for families to wait for justice. For two decades, those who lost their loved ones have carried the burden of grief while the Sri Lankan authorities have failed to deliver accountability.”

UN experts urged the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure, without further delay, truth, justice and reparation for the families of the humanitarian workers.

Groups demand release of political prisoners

In April 2026, a broad coalition of families of detainees, civil society organisations, religious leaders, trade unions and activists called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to unconditionally release 10 long‑term Tamil political prisoners held under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), citing election promises made by the National People’s Power (NPP) government and the need for national reconciliation.

The signatories said the continued detention of the prisoners - some for nearly three decades - represents a grave injustice and a long‑standing failure of Sri Lanka’s legal and political systems.

According to the appeal, 10 Tamil detainees remain incarcerated under the PTA despite having spent between 15 and nearly 30 years in prison. Two of them - Selvarajah Kirupaharan and Thambaiya Pragash - were arrested in August 2009, at the end of the civil war, and are still awaiting the conclusion of their trials.

The remaining eight detainees, although convicted, have each served more than 15 years in prison, with two having been detained for almost 30 years. The appeal alleges that several have endured torture, harassment and degrading treatment at the hands of law enforcement authorities, prison officials and fellow inmates, alongside arbitrary delays and procedural flaws in the legal process.

New laws raise concerns for the regulatory environment for civil society

On 9th July 2026, the Sri Lankan Parliament passed three amendments to the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework. These laws are the Prevention of Money Laundering Bill, the Financial Transactions Reporting (Amendment) Bill and the Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Bill.

The Bills were introduced through a fast-tracked process in April and May 2026 ahead of Sri Lanka’s Financial Action Task Force (FATF) mutual evaluation, with significantly limited opportunities for public consultation and civil society engagement.

According to EU SEE, their passage raises concerns for Sri Lanka’s enabling environment for civil society. The Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Bill significantly expands surveillance and interception powers for law enforcement, including monitoring of non-profit organisations deemed “high risk,” such as those engaged in human rights advocacy, without clearly defined or objective criteria. This raises concerns about increased scrutiny of civil society activity even in the absence of financial crime risk. The Financial Transactions Reporting (Amendment) Bill grants extensive and potentially vague powers to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), with limited safeguards against arbitrary application.

Civil society actors have previously challenged all three Bills before the Supreme Court, arguing that several provisions risk undermining freedom of association, expression, equality before the law and access to judicial remedies.

Concerns about the draft NGO law

In late July 2026, the government initiated the process of introducing the Non-Governmental Organisation Registration and Supervision Bill by sharing the amended draft with the National Collective of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and NGOs through the National Secretariat for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO Secretariat).

A stakeholder consultation, chaired by Sampath Manthreenayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Protection and Community Empowerment, was held on 20th July 2026, following which the NGO Secretariat invited the NGO Collective to submit written observations and recommendations on the draft Bill.

Civil society groups have highlighted that there are several problematic provisions in the draft that will curtail civic mobilisation.

Among them include: The mandatory registration requirement as envisaged is not consistent with the international and national standards. The overbroad scope of the draft bill casting a wide and indiscriminate net over all non-government organisations, not-for-profit and voluntary social service initiatives is burdensome and will inevitably result in discouraging volunteerism, withdrawal from civic activism, closure of CBOs and self-censorship.

Limiting the validity of registration to three years and instituting a registration renewal process will be operationally very disruptive and unnecessary. An intrusive supervisory structure and process to monitor and evaluate all non-government and not for profit activities in the country through the establishment of a Competent Authority (CA) and NGO Secretariat with vast powers is designed to facilitate and incentivise government interference in civil society activities.

Similarly, the mandatory and onerous registration, reporting, certification and approval processes found in the draft will result in NGOs being dependent on and beholden to local officials like the NGO Coordinators, Divisional Secretaries, etc. The ministerial appointment process, role, power and functions of the Competent Authority as outlined seems ripe for politicised decision-making and executive overreach.

The requirement to be aligned to government policy will restrict promotion of alternative views and approaches and have a chilling effect on dissent at multiple levels. Finally, the extremely punitive schemes of offences and exorbitant financial penalties over mere administrative issues as opposed to harm causing activity, with limited judicial supervision, will suppress civic engagement and volunteerism.

Trial of abducted journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda moves forward

On 8th August 2026, it was reported that a key witness in the trial at the Homagama High Court around the abduction of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda identified four military officers in open court.

The witness, a former LTTE member, stated that he was held at the Giritale Military Intelligence camp between 2009 and 2013, during which time the first through fourth accused, along with several others, were stationed at the same facility.

Nine members of the Army Intelligence Unit, including Colonel Shammi Arjuna Kumararatne, who served as the Commanding Officer of the Giritale Army Camp, have been named as defendants in the case.

According to Amnesty International, the trial had been disrupted for several months due to the failure to appoint a third judge to the bench since September 2025. It resumed in May 2026.

Meanwhile, Prageeth’s wife, Sandya Eknaligoda, has received death threats following a letter she wrote to the President.

As previously documented, journalist, cartoonist and political analyst Prageeth Eknaligoda disappeared from Homagama, near the capital, Colombo, shortly after leaving work at the Lanka-e-News office on 24th January 2010. In the days leading up to his disappearance, Eknaligoda had told a close friend that he believed he was being followed. Local residents reported seeing a white van without number plates close to his house around the time he went missing. White vans were used in many abductions and enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka, particularly from 2006, when the security forces and allied paramilitary groups stepped up attacks on government critics.

Moves to scrap existing law with new counter-terrorism legislation

On 19th August 2026, it was reported that the government is preparing to replace its long-criticised Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) with new legislation titled the State Protection from Terrorism Bill, marking a significant shift in the country's approach to counter-terrorism law.

Calls for the repeal or reform of the PTA have intensified in recent years, with pressure mounting from human rights organisations, civil society groups, foreign governments and multilateral bodies including the United Nations Human Rights Council. Sri Lanka's access to the European Union's GSP+ trade concession has also been linked, in part, to meaningful progress on human rights reforms, including the overhaul of the terrorism legislation.

Further parliamentary debate and public consultation are expected before the State Protection from Terrorism Bill is formally introduced and voted upon. The government has yet to announce a definitive timeline for the legislation's passage into law.

Despite the announcement of a replacement framework, human rights advocates have previously cautioned that any new legislation must genuinely address the structural flaws embedded in the PTA, rather than simply repackaging the same powers under a different name.

As previously documented, in December 2025, the Ministry of Justice published the Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA) which was to replace the PTA. Concerns around the bill were raised by numerous civil society groups.

The bill includes a broad and vague definition of terrorism, which includes crimes that do not constitute terrorism, and could be construed as prohibiting political activism. Like the PTA, the proposed law includes extraordinary powers of arrest and arbitrary detention. A suspect could be held without charge by a magistrate for up to one year. The bill empowers members of the armed forces to stop, search, and arrest suspects, and to enter premises and seize documents or other objects without a warrant if they have “reasonable suspicion” of a terrorist offence.

The bill also granted the president sweeping powers to proscribe organisations and declare curfews, while the secretary of defence can designate anywhere a “prohibited place” where taking a photograph or video is punishable by three years in prison. The police may apply to a magistrate for an order restricting an individual’s movement and activities.

According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the draft bill contained multiple provisions that are contrary to the state’s obligations under international human rights law and domestic constitutional guarantees and risks the recurrence of serious human rights violations observed under the existing PTA.

Peaceful Assembly

Police threaten Jaffna protesters during demonstration

In May 2026, the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Palaly police station threatened to arrest Tamil protesters, who were demanding the release of their occupied lands, for erecting a temporary rain shelter on the fence of a military Commander's bungalow during a protest.

According to the Tamil Guardian, the protest on 15th May 2026 was held outside a luxury accommodation facility used by senior Sri Lankan military officers near Mayiliddy in Valikamam North, an area that continues to remain under heavy military control decades after residents were displaced. Landowners from the region have been staging weekly protests every Friday, demanding the release of their lands situated within the High Security Zone (HSZ).

According to protesters, it started to rain heavily during the demonstration, prompting several participants to tie a tarpaulin sheet to the boundary fence of the military commander’s bungalow to shelter from the rain. They stated that the OIC of the Palaly police station arrived at the location during the downpour and ordered them to remove the tarpaulin immediately, warning that those present would otherwise be arrested and legal action taken against them.

Protesters further alleged that when those present attempted to record the incident on their mobile phones, the police officer verbally confronted them before eventually leaving the scene.

Protest over rapper's arrest faced intimidation and surveillance

In June 2026, residents, activists and elected representatives who gathered in Valvettithurai to demand the release of Tamil rapper Sangeethsan Ganeskumar, faced threats, intimidation and surveillance by occupying Sri Lankan police ahead of the demonstration.

According to the Tamil Guardian, the protest called for the immediate release of the artist, who had been detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), and renewed demands for the complete repeal of the controversial legislation. The demonstration drew the participation of local residents, civil society representatives, elected local government members and political activists.

According to organisers, Sri Lankan police sought to pressure participants before the event. Local sources said the occupying forces in Valvettithurai summoned several social activists and youth organisers and recorded statements regarding the planned demonstration. Participants alleged that officers warned them against proceeding with the protest and suggested they themselves could face arrest under the PTA.

Protesters further alleged that police officers and military intelligence personnel photographed and filmed participants throughout the gathering in what many viewed as an attempt to intimidate those attending.

Protest against mineral sand mining threatening East coast

A group of environmentalists and civil society activists in June 2026 protested at Galle Face, Colombo, against proposed heavy mineral sand mining along the eastern coastline from Oluvil to Pottuvil. They warned that the project threatened the land, fisheries and livelihoods of Tamil and Muslim communities across the Eastern Province.

According to the People’s Alliance for Right to Land (PARL), exploration licences have already been issued to private companies in the coastal areas despite the absence of an approved national mineral policy or legal framework governing such extraction. Protesters argued that granting licences before any regulatory framework was in place risked entrenching industrial mining interests before adequate safeguards could be established.

The proposed mining zones overlap with approximately 220,000 hectares of coastal agricultural land, shallow-water fishing grounds supporting more than 170,000 people, 13 major lagoons and estuaries, 13 wildlife sanctuaries, and tourism areas in the Eastern Province, according to the groups opposing the projects.

Environmentalists and affected communities have warned of coastal erosion, the disruption of lagoon and estuarine ecosystems, damage to fisheries, saltwater intrusion into agricultural land, biodiversity loss, and the destruction of coastal livelihoods.

Multiple events and protests commemorating the past and demanding return of land

In recent months, there have been a number of gatherings and protests commemorating the past and demanding the return of military occupied land.

On 18th May 2026, a remembrance event was held in Mannar to remember the Tamils who were massacred in Mullivaikkal in 2009. Flowers were laid for the victims and Mullivaikkal Kanji was prepared and distributed. The event was organised by the Tamil National Right to Life Movement.

On 5th June 2026, Tamil landowners in Valikamam North staged a protest for the seventh consecutive Friday, demanding the release of hundreds of acres of land that remain under military occupation despite the end of the armed conflict more than 17 years ago. The demonstration took place near the military Commander's Bungalow along the Kankesanthurai–Thondaimanaru Road in Mayiliddy.

On 6th July, residents of Keppapulavu in Mullaitivu protested for the twelfth consecutive day on Sunday, demanding the release of their ancestral lands, which have remained under military occupation since 2009. The demonstrators said 55 families are still unable to access a total of 159.5 acres of residential and agricultural land, and that the continued occupation has prevented them from resettling and rebuilding their livelihoods.

Residents of Valikamam North staged a protest for the fifth consecutive week at Palaly Junction on 21st July 2026, continuing their campaign for the release of lands that have remained under military occupation. The protest was held by residents who have been deprived of their lands for 36 years, as they demanded the return of homes and properties currently controlled by the military.

A demonstration was held in Mannar on 7th August 2026 demanding the immediate return of ancestral lands to their owners and expressing solidarity with Tamils across the North-East who have been campaigning for years to reclaim land still occupied by the state and its armed forces. It was organised by Kaani Ilantha Makkalin Kural, the Voice of the People who lost their lands, together with the Mannar Social and Economic Development Organisation.