Topic
Justice & Human Rights
2,079 speeches · 258 speakers
Party share
By the speaker's party · counts only, no scoring. "Unattributed" = speeches not resolved to an MP.
Most active on this topic
| # | Member | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney at Law, M.P. JJB | 162 |
| 2 | Hon. Sajith Premadasa, M.P. SJB | 96 |
| 3 | Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna, M.P. Independent Group 17 - Jaffna | 84 |
| 4 | Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney at Law, M.P. SJB | 79 |
| 5 | Hon. Ajith P. Perera, M.P. SJB | 71 |
| 6 | Hon. Ananda Wijepala, M.P. JJB | 67 |
| 7 | Hon. Mujibur Rahman, M.P. SJB | 60 |
| 8 | Hon. Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, M.P. JJB | 52 |
| 9 | Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam, M.P. ITAK | 48 |
| 10 | Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa, M.P. JJB | 47 |
Speeches
2,079 on this topic- 5 December 2025 The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law - Minister of Justice and National Integration JJB AI summary The Minister stated that the Supreme Court’s judgment of 24 July 2025 held the owner, operators and local agent of the X-Press Pearl jointly and severally liable for environmental damage, ordering USD 1 billion in interim compensation to be paid to the Treasury, of which about USD 1 million has been paid by the local agent. He said the Court has appointed independent experts to the Compensation Commission and the Marine and Coastal Environment Restoration and Protection Committee, and directed the Attorney General to take steps to secure compliance and report by 25 January 2026. He also outlined related compensation litigation in Singapore, which has been stayed due to limitation proceedings in London, where Sri Lanka’s application to set aside a general limitation order remains pending. Ministerial Statements - X-Press Pearl Vessel Liability Case Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya JJB AI summary The Minister stated that the Ministry and UGC are preparing guidelines and minimum standards to support the disability-admissions policy, including accessibility requirements for new buildings. She said directions have been issued to ensure future actions comply with the policy and that comprehensive guidelines will be finalized within the next year. Oral Question: Development Officers Attached to National Schools and Provincial Schools (Q.1309/2025) Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya JJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya stated that the Government would establish support units for students with disabilities in universities in a phased manner. She said universities must be equipped not only to admit such students but also to provide ongoing support, including necessary equipment and devices funded through allocated resources. Oral Question: Development Officers Attached to National Schools and Provincial Schools (Q.1309/2025) Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya JJB AI summary Direct absorption into the teachers’ service is not available due to Public Service Commission guidelines and Supreme Court judgments. Litigation-related constraints have been addressed through the Cabinet process, and recruitment will proceed by competitive examination under the Teachers’ Service Minute and PSC recommendations, with the age limit extended to 45 as permitted by the Supreme Court. Oral Question: Development Officers Attached to National Schools and Provincial Schools (Q.1309/2025) Read →
- 3 December 2025 The Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC SJB AI summary Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper highlighted the impact of the 2025 “Ditva” cyclone and called for more specific government responses, while emphasizing the Opposition’s role in evidence-based scrutiny. He urged the creation of a centralized early-warning and public advisory system integrating meteorological, disaster-management, scientific and social media capacities to provide locality-specific warnings, particularly for rainfall, landslides and river flooding. He raised urgent concerns from Kandy, including fatalities and unrecovered bodies from the Rambuk Ella landslide in Akurana, problems in Mawathura, contaminated wells and lack of safe drinking water, and requested assistance for affected communities and paddy lands. Debate: Continued Committee Stage of Appropriation Bill 2026 (Ministry Expenditure Heads - Multiple Speakers) Read →
- 3 December 2025 The Hon. Namal Rajapaksa, Attorney-at-Law SLPP AI summary Namal Rajapaksa expressed condolences over the disaster and called for a transparent Special Parliamentary Committee to examine failures in preparedness, warnings, evacuations, and administrative response. He urged the Government to revise the Budget to include a national disaster recovery plan, seek adjustments in discussions with the IMF, and ensure relief mechanisms are coordinated, especially in areas lacking key officials. He questioned agricultural loss data and asked the Government to organize logistics to move available produce to markets, while supporting affected farmers, medical staff, and displaced communities. He also cautioned against using Emergency Regulations to suppress public criticism rather than focusing State powers on saving lives and rebuilding. Debate: Continued Committee Stage of Appropriation Bill 2026 (Ministry Expenditure Heads - Multiple Speakers) Read →
- 3 December 2025 Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri SJB AI summary Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri expressed condolences for those affected in Badulla and questioned the legality, transparency, Treasury linkage, and auditing of the proposed “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” fund. He said the Government failed to adequately anticipate, warn, evacuate, and manage the disaster despite heavy rainfall forecasts, citing displacement, deaths, missing persons, damaged houses, and continuing landslide risks in Badulla District. He called for a clear plan for the intensifying monsoon, safe shelter and supplies for affected people without partisan distribution, higher and faster relief payments than Rs. 25,000, and warned against using emergency regulations to suppress media reporting. Debate: Continued Committee Stage of Appropriation Bill 2026 (Ministry Expenditure Heads - Multiple Speakers) Read →
- 3 December 2025 Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva SJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva urged the Government to use available Treasury savings and unexpected revenue to provide immediate disaster relief, arguing that at least Rs. 50,000 should be paid to affected households and that legal provisions allow higher reconstruction spending in 2026 despite IMF-linked expenditure limits. He proposed mobilizing Rs. 300–500 billion for reconstruction, suspending parate executions, and creating a dedicated MSME support fund, while suggesting that Treasury bill rollovers be used to free liquidity for relief. He also questioned the legal basis of the “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” fund, insisting that any such mechanism must be authorized by Parliament, auditable, and compliant with Article 148 and the Public Financial Management Act. He further called for a Budget amendment to reflect changed circumstances and asked the Government to clarify its policy on SOE reforms, citing CEB reforms and SriLankan Airlines losses. Debate: Continued Committee Stage of Appropriation Bill 2026 (Ministry Expenditure Heads - Multiple Speakers) Read →
- 3 December 2025 Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB AI summary Hon. Sajith Premadasa raised concern that displaced residents in 17 camps in Uva Paranagama, including at Maspanna Ayurvedic Hospital and several surrounding areas, were reportedly being told to return to homes that may be destroyed or unsafe. He requested the Chief Government Organizer to investigate and, if confirmed, stop such action immediately. He also called for a united, nonpartisan national response without divisions of party, race, religion, caste or creed. Debate: Continued Committee Stage of Appropriation Bill 2026 (Ministry Expenditure Heads - Multiple Speakers) Read →
- 3 December 2025 The Hon. Mujibur Rahuman SJB AI summary Hon. Mujibur Rahuman expressed condolences over the deaths, missing persons and displacement caused by Cyclone Ditva and questioned whether the Government had prior warnings from the Meteorology Department or international forecasts and what early mitigation action was taken. He proposed a Special Parliamentary Committee to examine failures in disaster preparedness and response, citing the Disaster Management Act, No. 13 of 2005, and raised legal and transparency concerns about the President’s separate “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” fund. He also warned against using Emergency Regulations to curb criticism, media activity or social media expression, and called for a common recovery mechanism involving both Government and Opposition MPs. Debate: Committee Stage of Appropriation Bill 2026 (Ministry Heads) Read →
- 3 December 2025 The Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva JJB AI summary Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in the context of the ongoing natural disaster, expressing condolences and emphasizing that persons with disabilities, estimated at 8.7 per cent of the population, must be included in relief and recovery efforts. He said the Government is ready to provide human and financial resources, and urged affected persons to communicate rehabilitation needs through field officers and Divisional Secretariats. He noted plans to update the Disabilities Act in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to present a Sign Language Bill, while calling on media outlets and officials to ensure disaster information and relief services are accessible, including through sign-language broadcasts and proactive outreach. Debate: Committee Stage of Appropriation Bill 2026 (Ministry Heads) Read →
- 3 December 2025 The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake sought leave to make a Personal Explanation under Standing Order No. 27(8), contesting statements made in the House on 26 November 2025 regarding the 2015 Treasury Bond issue. He argued that references to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry wrongly implied he had ministerial responsibility for the Central Bank, stating that gazette notifications under Article 44(1), Cabinet records and administrative circulars assigned that responsibility to then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, while commercial banks were under Hon. Kabir Hashim. He requested rectification of what he described as a factual error that damaged his reputation and could prejudice ongoing court proceedings. Personal Explanation: Hon. Ravi Karunanayake Read →
- 27 November 2025 The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney-at-Law SJB AI summary Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara questioned a tender condition requiring the master systems integrator for a biometric digital initiative to have at least 51 per cent Indian shareholding, arguing that this could exclude Sri Lankan companies and affect national control over citizens’ data. He asked the Government to table the related agreements and procedural framework in Parliament, citing concerns over sovereignty, data safeguards, and the absence of Supreme Court review without a Government reference. Oral Question: Digital Identity Card Introduction (Q.552/2025) Read →
- 27 November 2025 The Hon. Eranga Weeraratne - Deputy Minister of Digital Economy JJB AI summary On behalf of the Minister of Digital Economy, the Deputy Minister confirmed that Sri Lanka is introducing a biometric-based digital identity system as part of its digital transformation. He said the system is expected to improve access to public and private online services, reduce fraud in benefit distribution and financial transactions, support inclusion in the digital economy, and strengthen national security and law enforcement by preventing forged or multiple identities. Oral Question: Digital Identity Card Introduction (Q.552/2025) Read →
- 27 November 2025 The Hon. Ajith P. Perera SJB AI summary Ajith P. Perera raised, for a second time, the lack of response to his question on establishing the Permanent Three-Judge High Court for Anti-Corruption. He criticized the Government for speaking about anti-corruption while, after a year in office, not filing any case in that court, and requested a prompt answer to avoid further delay. Oral Question: Permanent Three-Judge High Court for Anti-Corruption (Q.2/2024 (2)) Read →
- 26 November 2025 The Hon. Ajith P. Perera SJB AI summary Hon. Ajith P. Perera welcomed progress on implementing the Personal Data Protection Act and urged investment in the institutional capacity needed to operationalize it, while also calling for the Cyber Security Bill to be placed on the Order Paper and passed without delay. He raised a legal concern that Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne may have been disqualified from Parliament if, at the time of nomination, he held shares in a company with a Government contract, citing previous cases involving Rajitha Senaratne and Albert Silva, and asked that possible conflicts of interest be examined. He also questioned the Government’s agreement with EDOTCO to build telecom towers, asking whether it followed an open tender process, who the bidders were, how prices were determined, and how the arrangement would reduce consumer costs. Debate: Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Committee Stage, Sixteenth Allotted Day Read →
- 26 November 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva SJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva supported the development of digital public infrastructure and referred to the IPS “State of the Economy 2025” report, but urged that digitalisation be designed with safeguards for democracy, human rights, transparency and Sri Lanka’s post-war context. He called for wider public consultation, including a Parliamentary Select Committee, and asked how the Digital Sri Lanka programme would reconcile with the Online Safety Act and the Personal Data Protection Act. He criticised the lack of publicly available Sinhala and Tamil documentation on the programme and requested inclusive communication before implementation. He also questioned the reported tender for 15 million pre-printed polycarbonate ID cards, asking whether such a quantity and format are necessary if the country is moving to a digital identity system. Debate: Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Committee Stage, Sixteenth Allotted Day Read →
- 26 November 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education JJB AI summary The Prime Minister rejected the Member’s assertions as unproven interpretations and stated that her previous answers were based on facts. She said the Government is allowing legal proceedings to continue without interference and will take necessary steps to ensure justice, adding that relevant cases are progressing. Oral Question: Central Bank Bond Scam: Impact on the Government (Q.116/2024) Read →
- 26 November 2025 The Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri SJB AI summary Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri challenged the consistency of a previous answer to his question on arrests or questioning in relation to an investigation. He cited the earlier response, which referred to COPA’s 2022 direction to the CID, a Finance Ministry referral, and a 2025 CID request for a further forensic audit that the Auditor General said could not proceed without access to parties and evidence, arguing that it contradicted the position now being taken. Oral Question: Central Bank Bond Scam: Impact on the Government (Q.116/2024) Read →
- 26 November 2025 The Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri SJB AI summary Chaminda Wijesiri argued that past allegations involving previous governments and their associates should not be left unaddressed, stating that those accused, including members of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, have a right to clear their names. He questioned whether the present Government is ensuring such fairness before proceeding to his second supplementary question. Oral Question: Central Bank Bond Scam: Impact on the Government (Q.116/2024) Read →