Media And Christian Organisations Raise

Concerns

Justice Ministers Statement Threatening Lakshan

by Ifham Nizam-JUNE 24, 2017

Attorney-at-Law Lakshan Dias and Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe

Hundreds of prominent individuals covering various spectrums and
more than 30 organisations had come hard on a recent statement by
Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe threatening to remove an
attorney-at-law of the Supreme Court.
The Sri Lanka Chapter of the South Asian Free Media Association
(SAFMA-SL) strongly condemns the recent statements by Justice &
Buddhism Affairs Minister threatening to deny the license of
professional practice of Attorney-at-Law Lakshan Dias for raising issues
of persecution of religious communities.

Rather than further inquire into the concerns raised by this

accomplished and respected lawyer, the Justice Minister has chosen to
attack him for raising these very issues. In doing so, SAFMA Sri Lanka is
concerned that the Minister is hindering and undermining the freedom
of religion and, consequently, the freedom of thought and expression,
a statement said.

Human Rights Lawyer, Lakshan Dias, appearing on a television

programme titled Aluth Parliamenthuwa on Ada Derana, commented
on the recent spate of religiously motivated attacks.
He had claimed that there were 195 cases of racially motivated attacks
against Christian places of worship from January 8, 2015 to date. He
quoted the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL)
as his source while presenting his arguments. He further asserted that
extremist Buddhist monks were responsible for a significant portion of
these attacks.

In response, Justice and Buddha Sasana Minister, Wijeyadasa

Rajapakshe, addressing an audience at the opening of a new Court
complex in Mankulam, Kilinochchi, quoted Lakshan Dias as claiming
that 166 attacks were reported against Christian places of worship.
Rajapakshe claimed that these were blatant lies intended at misleading
the general public and driving them to panic. Further to this, he also
made a remark that almost certainly implied that Dias was foreign
funded.

Mr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe Justice Minister of Sri Lanka has

threatened to remove me as an Attorney-at-law of the Supreme Court
unless I apologise to the nation within 24 hours. I believe that the
response of the legal profession must be swift and uncompromising.

This is utterly reprehensible, unprecedented and a serious threat to me

as a professional and unilateral order. It is also potentially a contempt of
court, as only the Supreme Court can remove lawyers.
I as a member of Bar Association of Sri Lanka urgently seek BASL
response to this, as its an intimidation, threatening and damaging my
practice and my existence as a human being, says Attorney-at-Law
Lakshan Dias.

Free Media Movement (FMM), as an organisation stands for freedom of

expression including social democracy and media freedom, questions
the Minister whether this is the transformation for democracy and good
governance achieved by the Sri Lankan society on January 8, 2015.

In a situation where there are allegations on attacks on religious

centers, the due process should be inquiring it from the IGP or any
other responsible authority, not from a leader of another Mission.
Without following such process, threatening Lakshan Dias for removing
him from his profession is entirely unacceptable, FMM points out.
This statement by the Minister has exceeded the limitations of the
behavior of a responsible and moral individual and we emphasise the
fact that it is an intimidation against the right to freedom of
expression, FMM said.

Therefore, no matter the accuracy of the statement by Mr. Lakshan

Dias, Free Media Movement emphasizes his right to freedom of speech
and expression while affirming that the Justice Ministers behavior is a
menace to the rule of law and the democracy of the country, says FMM
Convener C. Dodawatte and Secretary Dileesha Abeysundara.

As a body of journalists dedicated to social justice, SAFMA Sri Lanka is

shocked that the Minister has made this threat against a lawyer directly
in connection with that lawyers professional defence of religious rights
which are guaranteed by the freedom of expression bestowed by the
Constitution. The Justice & Buddhism Affairs Minister has made this
threat publicly and, further, demanded that lawyer to apologise in 24
hours, in a situation where the country is experiencing on-going hostile
and violent acts against religious communities.

Excerpts of the statement

All Sri Lankans know that religions in our country have experienced
persecution at various moments throughout our history. Both the
Buddha Sasana and the Vedic denominations have suffered persecution
since ancient times, including the colonial era. In recent times the
Islamic Umma and Christian Church have experienced persecution.

Indeed, the whole country is aware of the public campaigns of hostility

against Christianity and Islam that began in recent decades and
continues to this day. The news media has responsibly reported these
inflammatory campaigns and the resulting violence.

As socially committed journalists, the members of SAFMA-SL firmly

uphold the freedom to practice religion and philosophies as an
inalienable part of the larger freedom of expression and thought.
Rather than further inquire into the concerns raised by this
accomplished and respected lawyer, the Justice Minister has chosen to
attack him for raising these very issues. In doing so, SAFMA Sri Lanka is
concerned that the Minister is hindering and undermining the freedom
of religion and, consequently, the freedom of thought and expression.

Call to protect religious freedom and religious harmony in Sri Lanka

The National Christian Council of Sri Lanka, which represents the

majority of non-Roman Catholic churches in Sri Lanka, is disturbed by
some of the views expressed over the past few days in relation to the
violence, intimidation and the threat posed against Christian churches
in the country.

We reiterate the fact that Christian churches have been subject to

violence, intimidation and threats over the past few years. This is in
addition to the many ongoing issues that the Christian community faces
with regard to the construction of places of worship, the registration of
churches, house churches, Christian education in state schools and the
forced closure of churches etc. which successive governments have
failed to address despite us having made clear representations to the
relevant authorities.

We are of the opinion that the current crisis, which has been
precipitated through TV debates and pronouncements of politicians, is
only trying to deal with the visible wounds and symptoms of a problem
without trying to address the root causes.

We recognise that many of the problems we face are precipitated by

the actions of a small number of extremist elements within each
religion. The Council has been involved, over very many years in, formal
and informal, consultations and conversations with Religious leaders
from all faiths and with variety forums within the Christian community.
We are confident that honest and frank dialogue sustained by a sincere
commitment from the Religious Leaders of all faiths can reduce the
tension without further damaging the interfaith cordiality and harmony
that has existed in this country.
We once again stress, to all those in positions of authority that it is of
paramount importance that law and order should be enforced by the
police without bias and fear. No individuals or groups should be allowed
to take the law into their own hands and must be prevented from
inappropriately using religious sentiments for personal or political ends.
Only last week we issued a statement that was clear in both of these
principles.

We appeal to the government to take immediate steps to seek to

resolve the underlying problems faced by religious minorities on this
island and appeal to the Religious Leaders to come together to
collectively address the crucial underlying issues, so that religious
freedom for all religious communities is upheld in law and that the right
of every individual to proclaim his or her own religion, and to contribute
to public life, without being subjected to attack or ridicule, is respected
and protected.
Signed by:
* Rev. Saman Perera Chairperson of the National Christian Council of
Sri Lanka and President, Presbytery of Lanka
* Rt. Rev. D. R. Canagasabey Bishop of Colombo, Church of Ceylon,
Diocese of Colombo and Bishop of Kurunegala, Church of Ceylon,
Diocese of Kurunegala.
* Rt. Rev. Dr. Daniel S. Thiagarajah, Bishop of Jaffna Diocese, Church of
South India
* Rev. Asiri P. Perera, President/Bishop, Methodist Church of Sri Lanka
* Rev. Priyantha Wijegoonawardene, President, Sri Lanka Baptist
Sangamaya
* Rev. Stanley Nelson, President, Christian Reformed Church
* Colonel Alistair Venter, Territorial Commander, The Salvation Army
* Rev. G. Nadarajah, President, Lanka Lutheran Church
* Rev. Michael Dissanayake, Chairperson, Assemblies of God of Ceylon
* Rev. Leslie Keegal, President, Church of the Four Square Gospel
Church in Sri Lanka.
* Rev. W.P. Ebenezer Joseph, General Secretary, National Christian
Council of Sri Lanka
The NCCSL also represents the following Ecumenical Organizations:
* Young Mens Christian Association (YMCA)
* Young Womens Christian Association (YWCA)
* Student Christian Movement (SCM)
* The Ceylon Bible Society
* Christian Literature Society
* Theological College of Lanka.
* Back to the Bible Broadcast
* Colombo Theological Seminary
* Youth for Christ
Solidarity with Human Rights Defender and Attorney at Law, Lakshan
Dias
We are appalled by the Minister of Justices attempts to intimidate
Attorney-at-Law Lakshan Dias, with threats that steps would be taken in
terms of the law to have him removed from the legal profession. We
condemn this conduct of the Minister as an abuse of power, resulting in
an individual being subject to public disrepute and hostility.

On June 14, 2017, Mr. Dias, appearing on the talk show Aluth
Parlimenthuwa on Derana TV, stated that there were 195 incidents of
attacks and other forms of harassment against Christian places of
worship in the country since the beginning of 2015. On June 16, ITN
news telecast a speech of the President referring to comments made by
Mr. Dias. The President, here, stated that he had immediately called
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of the Roman Catholic Church to verify Mr.
Dias claims and that he was told that the Cardinal was unaware of any
such incidents. Subsequently, on June 17, ITN news telecast a statement
by Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakse reiterating the Presidents statement
and further threatening to initiate action to remove Mr. Dias from
practicing law unless he apologises to the nation within 24 hours.

The statistics presented by Mr. Dias were based on information

documented by the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka
(NCEASL), including police complaints and case numbers of many such
incidents. On May 27, 2017, the NCEASL issued a press release,
expressing concern over 20 incidents targeting Christian places of
worship in 2017. Moreover, research reports compiled by Verit
Research based on the documentation of the NCEASL titled, Silent
Suppression: Restrictions on Religious Freedoms of Christians (1994-
2014) A twenty year trend analysis and Judicial Responses to
Religious Freedom: A Case Analysis Judicial responses towards the
fundamental rights of the Christian community in Sri Lanka during 2005-
2014 further highlight violations against the Christian community in Sri
Lanka. The Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka
too, on May 31, 2017 wrote the President, drawing attention to attacks
on places of worship, targeting Christian and Muslim communities,
seeking the Presidents intervention.

The NCEASL had previously, communicated to the President through a

letter dated September 30, 2016, its desire to represent the interests
of the Evangelical Christian community, a minority religious group in the
country, at the Inter-Religious Council of Sri Lanka but did not receive a
response to this request.

The NCEASL has met with officials of the Ministry of Religious Affairs
under successive governments, and shared information of acts of
intimidation and violence. The NCEASL has also shared its incident
reports and documentation with other agencies closely working with
the government including the South Asia Policy and Research Institute,
and is prepared to present to the President, evidence of the statistics
quoted by Mr. Dias in his interview.

In this light, it is surprising that both the President and the Minister of
Justice are unaware of such incidents. We draw attention to the
distinction between the references made to attacks on Evangelical
Christian churches as opposed to Roman Catholic churches, and also
note that Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith functions as the Roman Catholic
Archbishop of Colombo. Mr. Lakshan Dias is a renowned lawyer and a
committed human rights defender who has engaged in civil society
activism for over two decades. He is a member of the Bar Association of
Sri Lanka and many local and regional human rights groups. He has
appeared for many fundamental rights violation cases on a pro-bono
basis, on behalf of marginalised and underprivileged people. He has
also represented many victims of religious violence and discrimination
from minority religious communities.

We, as a civil society, view the targeting of Mr. Dias as an attempt to

silence human rights activism. Moreover, we express our serious
concern about the threat posed to Mr. Lakshan Diass legal career and
his safety.

We strongly urge the following actions by the Government:

1. Immediate action from the Minister of Justice to make public that Mr.
Lakshan Dias Attorney at Laws assertions was based on reported
statistics.

2. Ensure the safety and security of Mr. Dias and his family and uphold
the fundamental rights of Mr. Dias to engage in his chosen profession,
and continued enjoyment of the freedom of expression as a Lawyer and
a defender of rights guaranteed to all under Article 14 (1) (a) of the
Constitution of Sri Lanka.

Issued by:

The National Christian Evangelical Alliance Sri Lanka

* Alliance Development Trust (ADT)
* Ceylonese Evangelistic Association
* INFORM Human Rights Documentation Center
* International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES)
* Lawyers for Democracy
* Mannar Womens Development Federation (MWDF)
* Mothers and Daughters of Lanka (MDL)
* National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO)
* National Peace Council (NPC)
* Northern Muslim Civil Society
* Organization for Protection of Paanam Paththuwa
* PAFFREL
* People to People Dialogue on Peace and Sustainable Development
* PrajaAbilasha Land Rights Movement
* Right to Life Human Rights Center (R2L)
* Rural Development Foundation
* Transparency International Sri Lanka
* Womens Action Network (WAN)
* Womens Centre
* Womens Political Academy

* World Evangelical Alliance, Religious Liberty Commission (WEA RLC)

Posted by Thavam