UN warns Sri Lanka against extensive use of 'emergency' to curtail protests amid crisis

The United Nations human rights experts on Monday expressed discontent with Sri Lanka's excessive and prolonged use of 'emergency' measures to crack down on peaceful anti-government demonstrations on the island. In a comprehensive statement, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) strongly condemned the repeated declaration of a state of emergency since April 2, 2022, to quell civil protests amid the stifling economic crisis in the country. The frequent 'emergencies' hinder people from voicing their grievances amidst the economic collapse in the country, the statement said.

“We have raised our concerns to the Government on a number of occasions over the misuse of emergency measures, but to no avail. We condemn the recent and continued abuse of such measures to infringe on the legitimate exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression,” the experts said, as mentioned in the press release.

Since the takeover of Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Lankan government issues several "state of emergencies" to curtail anti-government uprisings on the island amid the crippling financial shortage. Shortly after crisis-hit President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned on July 15, his successor Wickremesinghe declared another state of emergency on July 17, further promising to take the strictest actions against "trouble-makers." Ever since, Colombo officially expanded its emergency period for another month, allowing security forces the power to detain and raid suspected protestors without undergoing judicial proceedings.

"Given the long-standing abuse of emergency powers in Sri Lanka, documented by United Nations human rights experts over many years, the experts raised particular concern about the impact of such powers on the exercise of a range of human rights, and reports of the targeting of vulnerable and minority groups under this state of emergency," the statement said, adding that such exercises violate the norms of international law.

Repressive measures close avenue for dialogue: UN

The UN further voiced concern over the impact of such emergencies on vulnerable people who are "struggling to choose between food and medicine." Amid the deepening economic crisis, such "repressive measures further close avenues for dialogue and maintain political climate prone to an escalation of tension." The UN underscored that limitations to protests must only be applied under "exceptional circumstances" adhering to national and international laws, and should be avoided to quell the expression of peaceful dissent.

It is pertinent to mention that protests broke out against the Lankan government around March when thousands descended to streets expressing years of power abuse by the Rajapaksas. Their questionable practices- reckless borrowings, unprofitable infrastructural development, ill-timed taxes- compounded with the pandemic pushed the island of 22 million into a massive economic freefall. The mass protests gained momentum as the island faced skyrocketing inflation, fuel and energy shortage, and prolonged power cuts that lasted for days.

(Image: AP)