Sri Lanka Backsliding on Human Rights Issues Under President Wickremesinghe

According to Human Rights Watch, the current regime in Sri Lanka, led by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, has worsened human rights issues in the country following the country’s economic crisis.

In 2022, Sri Lanka defaulted on its foreign debt, which caused a massive economic crisis, unprecedented in the country’s history. This led to the forced resignations of the President and Prime Minister, Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa, who are brothers.

They nominated Wickremesinghe to the presidency following their departure, and international onlookers had hoped for him to introduce economic reforms and address corruption in the government.

Instead, his administration has introduced measures to suppress dissent and limit international attention on human rights offenses taking place in the country. One of these measures was the Online Safety Act, which can help to censor anti-government sentiments and introduces speech-related offenses which can now be deemed criminal, and carry long prison sentences.

The government has also tabled the Anti-Terrorism Bill, which would allow the Sri Lankan government to target minorities and hinder critics from speaking out. The government is already using existing laws to arrest protestors and crack down on dissent.