Sri Lanka - June 2024

In June, school authorities and government officials in the City of Trincomalee withheld the exam results of 70 Muslim female students because their head coverings allegedly covered their ears during the exam and thus threatened exam integrity. Human rights experts have raised concerns that this decision risks denying the girls the opportunity for university education, emphasizing that it violates the right to freedom of religion and entrenches discrimination against Muslims. While the exam results were later released, legal experts say the decision to withhold the results in the first place sets a negative precedent. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has launched an inquiry into the case and examination rule to avoid similar delays in future instances.

Sources: Human Rights Watch, The Morning, Daily FT

On 19 June, following the Attorney General's advice, the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court cleared stand-up comedian Natasha Edirisooriya of charges related to a controversial remark about Buddhism during a performance that led to her detention in May 2023. Social media activist Bruno Divakara, who had been arrested for sharing a video of the performance, was also cleared. The AG advised there was insufficient evidence to charge them. Although both had been granted bail in July 2023, they continued to face an inquiry. Human rights experts criticized  the AG’s citing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)’s protection of religious freedom in the indictment as an attempt to suppress free speech. Civil society organizations have called for action against those responsible for her arrest under the pretext of protecting religious harmony.

Sources: International IDEA, Colombo Telegraph, News First LK