Human Rights Watch is pleased to invite you to a news conference via Zoom from Geneva at 10:00 a.m. CST on Monday, February 1, 2021, for the launch of its report.

Sri Lanka is at a turning point. The government led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has – since taking office in November 2019 – waged a campaign of fear and intimidation against human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, and others challenging government policy. It has adopted policies hostile to ethnic and religious minorities. And it has repressed those seeking justice for abuses committed during the country’s 26-year civil war, which ended in 2009. Fundamental democratic freedoms and post-war reconciliation efforts are in jeopardy.

“Open Wounds and Mounting Dangers” details the Rajapaksa administration’s efforts to block accountability for past violations of human rights. The risk of further serious rights violations is growing. To protect Sri Lanka’s beleaguered civil space and marginalized populations, it is crucial that foreign governments, donors, and international institutions now reinforce efforts to promote accountability, starting with a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council in February 2021 to maintain scrutiny of Sri Lanka’s human rights situation.

What:
Launch of Human Rights Watch Report “Open Wounds and Mounting Dangers: Blocking Accountability for Grave Abuses in Sri Lanka”

Who:
John Fisher, Geneva Director, Human Rights Watch
Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Executive Director, Centre for Policy Alternatives
Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director, Human Rights Watch

When:
Monday, February 1, 2021, 10:00am (Geneva time)