The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2024 Annual Report recently, marking the 25th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). The report, which highlights key developments in religious freedom during 2023, details a concerning decline in religious freedom in Sri Lanka.
In 2023, the Sri Lankan government continued to harass and threaten religious minorities, often denying them access to their places of worship. Christian communities faced significant challenges in registering churches, and discriminatory legislation was used to target, monitor, and detain religious minorities. The controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) has been criticized for its broad powers, particularly affecting Muslim citizens following the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. United Nations experts and human rights groups have also raised concerns over a new terrorism bill, which they argue does not adequately address flaws in existing legislation, including vague definitions of terrorism and limited judicial oversight.
The government’s use of the PTA and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act, enacted in 2007, to arbitrarily detain individuals has raised alarm. The ICCPR Act, intended to incorporate an international treaty into law, has been widely used to restrict religious freedom and limit freedom of expression. In January, Youtuber Sepal Amarasinghe was arrested for allegedly derogatory comments about the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Lord Buddha, and in May, comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya was arrested under the ICCPR Act for making a joke that allegedly insulted Buddhism and Christianity. Following Edirisooriya’s arrest, the Minister of Buddhist, Religious, and Cultural Affairs announced plans to submit a bill to prevent the distortion of religion, arguing that no one has the right to offend any religion. President Ranil Wickremesinghe also called for the establishment of a special police unit to combat “religious disharmony.”
Throughout the year, the Department of Archaeology, in coordination with Buddhist clergy and local authorities, continued to expropriate land from Hindus and Muslims in the Northern and Eastern provinces for the construction of Buddhist sites. In March, Buddhist monks, representatives from the Department of Archaeology, and Sri Lankan security forces attempted to install a Buddhist statue in Trincomalee, threatening to shoot Tamil and Muslim protesters. In July, Judge T. Saravanarajah ordered the eviction of Buddhist monks from a Tamil Hindu temple in Kurunthurmalai after they prevented Hindu worshipers from gathering. The Department of Archaeology later violated a 2022 court order, leading Saravanarajah to resign and reportedly flee the country due to threats against his life.
Authorities often failed to address tensions and violence instigated by Buddhist monks towards religious minorities. In August, a Buddhist monk led a group of Sinhala men armed with knives and swords to intimidate journalists and an interfaith group in Batticaloa, attacking a Hindu priest and harassing two Catholic priests and a Muslim scholar. That same month, Buddhist monks in Trincomalee stormed a district committee meeting, threatening the Governor of the Eastern District over a halted Buddhist temple construction in a Tamil-majority district. The Minister of Buddha Sasana expressed dissatisfaction with the Governor’s order but suggested the matter should be left to the courts.
In October, the government published the Online Safety Bill, which experts argue could worsen the targeting and detention of minority religious communities. The bill proposes the establishment of an Online Safety Commission with broad powers to determine whether an online statement is “false […] threatening, alarming or distressing.” It mandates up to three years in prison for individuals who cause disturbances during lawful religious worship or ceremonies and criminalizes the publication of statements intended to harm or insult religious beliefs.
U.S. policy towards Sri Lanka has historically focused on democracy building and post-civil war transitional justice. In FY 2023, the U.S. government provided $78 million for programs in Sri Lanka. In April, the U.S. Department of State leveled sanctions against Wasantha Karannagoda, Governor of the North Western Province, for human rights abuses during his time as a Naval Commander. In a September letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, 12 members of Congress condemned Sri Lanka’s violation of international human rights law and democratic principles. In November, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung condemned the continued use of the PTA to target peaceful protesters. In December, members of Congress introduced a bipartisan resolution urging increased transparency and investigations of human rights abuses, including against religious minority groups, the report further added.
