NPP MP Lakmali Hemachandra has requested Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne to refer a BBC Sinhala article published on June 8 to Parliament’s Ethics and Privileges Committee, alleging it breached parliamentary privileges.
In a letter to the Speaker, Hemachandra said the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus had convened a meeting on June 5 to discuss a high-profile child abuse case in Anuradhapura, with representatives from the Police, Attorney General’s Department, National Child Protection Authority and Department of Probation participating.
She said officials attending the meeting were instructed not to disclose details of the discussion to third parties due to the sensitive nature of the case and the need to protect the child victim’s rights, privacy and dignity.
According to Hemachandra, a journalist from BBC Sinhala contacted her on June 8 seeking information about the meeting. She said she informed the journalist that the proceedings were confidential, but was told that multiple participants had already discussed the meeting with outsiders.
The MP alleged that a BBC Sinhala article published later that day contained inaccurate information about the proceedings and portrayed the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus and its members negatively.
She further claimed that the publication of information from the meeting constituted a breach of parliamentary privileges and raised concerns about the conduct of state officials who had allegedly disclosed details of the discussion despite being instructed not to do so.
Hemachandra has requested the Speaker to refer the matter to the Ethics and Privileges Committee, citing alleged breaches of Sections 5, 6 and 7 of the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act. (Newswire)
Full Letter
2026. 06. 09
Honourable Speaker,
On the 5th of June 2026, Women’s Parliamentarian’s Caucus convened a discussion on a high profile child abuse case in Anuradhapura which has recently caused a great amount of public debate and concern. The intention of the discussion was to directly engage the relevant state agencies about the developments in the case, especially to ensure the child victim receives adequate state support from all authorities. Consequently Sri Lanka Police, Attorney General’s Department, National Child Protection Authority and Probation Department were called to the Parliament.
During the discussion it was revealed that the child is identified as a victim in three separate court proceedings against multiple suspects which necessarily entailed all state agencies to fully cooperate and assist each other to prevent further trauma to the victim and guarantee protection for the victim. Considering there were multiple court proceedings and ongoing investigations the Women Parliamentarian’s Caucus directed all officials attending the meeting to refrain from commenting about the content of the discussion to third parties.
The victim being a child and the agencies present in the discussion being crucial institutions to protect her rights to privacy, safety and dignity Women Parliamentarian Caucus advised the officials not to engage third parties on the content of the discussions causing any prejudice to the child’s rights to seek justice and jeopardize proceedings in the court or ongoing investigations. All parties were informed any breach of information regarding the discussion with caucus will result in the Women Parliamentarian’s Caucus invoking Parliamentary privileges against such breach. The Caucus is of the view that as Members of the Parliament we have a higher duty of care towards the legal rights of the child which should not be politicized for the gains of any individual, political party or even state officials. The Caucus also noted that details and facts about the ongoing investigations had already been exposed to outsiders, especially to the media. Portions of this information were either fabricated, distorted or untruthful.
On the 8th of June 2026, I received a telephone call from a journalist who identified himself as Sampath Dissanayake from BBC Sinhala Service who inquired about the proceedings in the Parliament in relation to the Women Parliamentarian Caucus meeting on 5th of June 2026. I informed the said journalist that proceedings in the caucus were confidential and participants were advised not to disclose any information to outsiders. However, the said journalist confirmed that multiple parties who attended the meeting had discussed the proceedings with outsiders. He refused to identify a single informant.
Furthermore on 8th June 2026 BBC Sinhala published an article containing untruthful reports about the proceedings in the Women Parliamentarian’s Caucus portraying members of the caucus and the proceedings in the caucus in a negative manner. Despite the journalist being made aware that in the interest of the child the proceedings are considered confidential, he or she has relied on unverified and malicious information undermining the proceedings in front of the caucus. The article is attached for Hon. Speaker’s reference marked as X. The article reduces the proceedings in the Women Parliamentarian’s caucus to gossip and unreliable narrations undermining the Women Parliamentarian’s Caucus and general political representation of women in the Parliament.
However, what is more concerning is the blatant disregard for confidentiality state officials have displayed even when they were requested to refrain from engaging outsiders on proceedings in the parliament about a case involving a child. All parties who were present in the caucus meeting on 5th June are crucial agencies handling cases involving children. Untruthful depiction of the Women’s Caucus proceedings to the media and the public therefore constitutes not just a breach of parliamentary privileges but irresponsible conduct in relation to a very high profile child abuse incident wilfully sabotaging the protection of child’s interests.
In that context, I request the Hon. The Speaker refers to the Ethics and Privileges Committee the article published on BBC Sinhala on 8th June 2026, attached as X, as a breach of parliamentary privileges as Section 5, 6 and 7 of Part A of the Schedule of the Parliamentary (Powers and Privileges Act) are breached by the above mentioned article.
Lakmali Hemachandra
Member of Parliament