Opposition parties in Sri Lanka have written to several international legal professional organizations, warning of grave threats to lawyers and the public amid rising violence and politicization of law enforcement.
The letter highlights a recurring pattern of shootings and killings, with more than 60 lives lost last year and nine already in 2026. It cites the daylight killing of attorney‑at‑law Buddhika Mallawarachchi and his wife near a high‑security zone on February 13.
This incident has sent shockwaves through the ranks of the legal profession in our country. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka, resorting to an extraordinary course of action after an interval of 14 years, convened a meeting of the entire membership of the Association, comprising more than 3,500 attorneys-at-law, and unanimously resolved at that meeting that all members of the profession should refrain from engaging in their professional work throughout the country on Monday, 16 February. The result of this decision was that all courts, from the Supreme Court to Magistrate’s Courts in all parts of the country, were closed on that day, and thousands of cases scheduled for hearing had to be postponed, they said.
The signatories accuse the police of irresponsibly linking the victim to criminal clients within an hour of the murder, undermining the seriousness of the attack. They warn of erosion in judicial independence, political pressure on the Attorney‑General, and threats to due process. The proposed anti‑terrorism law is described as striking at the root of democratic institutions and targeting media freedom.
For a country which has been justifiably proud of the stature and integrity of institutions responsible for the administration of justice, it is singularly disheartening that there is now, to a significant extent, erosion of an environment conducive to the proper functioning of the court system. Prevailing conditions no longer allow Bench and Bar to fulfil their duties with robust independence, bereft of fear and favour. This poses a basic challenge to the right of any accused person, enshrined in the Constitution of the country, to be represented by Counsel.
There is clear evidence of pressure brought to bear on the Attorney-General, which has the effect of politicising the exercise of the prosecutorial function, with consequent detriment to the perceived fairness of the criminal justice process. Due process, natural justice and established traditions are being cynically violated by vicious political attacks, which have taken the place of legal submissions in Courts of Law, they pointed out.
The letter further states that the extreme politicization of the police force compromises impartial investigations, and that the government is in breach of its duty under international conventions to protect lawyers.
Rising public discontent across the spectrum is sought to be suppressed by the provisions of a proposed anti-terrorism law, which, in its present form, strikes at the very root of cherished democratic institutions and values in the country, and demonstrably infringes core obligations undertaken by Sri Lanka in international instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Directly targeted are media institutions with obvious vulnerability for owners, editors, executive staff, and media personnel at all levels.
The extreme politicization of the police force, under the leadership of an Inspector-General who has jettisoned even the appearance of detachment and objectivity, militates seriously against professionalism and impartiality in respect of criminal investigations, including the inquiry into the recent killing of a member of the legal profession.
The Government is clearly in breach of its duty to take administrative and, if necessary, legislative measures to give effect to Article 9(4) of the Luxembourg Convention, adopted by the Council of Europe, for the protection of lawyers. The Commonwealth Association on 9 July 2016 emphatically endorsed the Convention by the assertion that “If the lawyer is not protected, then no one is protected”. These salient features of a vibrant democracy are today under sustained and formidable challenge in our country, they said.
The Opposition Parties further alleged that the Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ananda Wijepala, has failed dismally in his duty to secure the safety of citizens and to forestall the increasingly manifest deterioration of law and order in Sri Lanka.
“We would like to alert international professional bodies with regard to the grave threats to the life and safety of professionals in our country, and urge them to make suitable interventions to help us preserve a culture which we have held sacrosanct over the decades,” they added.
The letter was signed by Opposition members, including Sajith Premadasa (SJB), Ranil Wickremesinghe (UNP), Namal Rajapaksa (SLPP), Jeewan Thondaman (CWC), Nimal Siripala De Silva (SLFP), Mano Ganesan (TPA), Dilith Jayaweera (Sravajana Balaya), and others.
The appeal has been addressed to international bodies such as the International Bar Association, Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association, International Commission of Jurists, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, urging intervention to safeguard the legal profession and democratic values in Sri Lanka. (Newswire)
