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- 9 July 2025 The Hon. K. Kader Masthan SLLP AI summary K. Kader Masthan said the Muslim community had suffered continuing consequences from the 2019 Easter attacks and called for expedited investigations to identify and disclose the true mastermind, rather than continued political blame. He argued that post-attack fear and suspicion had damaged communal harmony, with Muslims facing collective punishment, arrests over Arabic materials, and other restrictions, while also acknowledging the Cardinal’s role in preventing reprisals. He raised concern over Customs obstacles to 20,000 Qur’an copies imported from Saudi Arabia and urged the Government to uphold its promises on justice, human rights issues, and repeal or reform of the PTA, citing the detention of a youth named Suhail. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar - Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources JJB AI summary Ramalingam Chandrasekar linked the Easter Sunday attacks to a broader history of communal violence in Sri Lanka, thanking Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith for helping prevent further unrest after the attacks. He recalled personal losses from the Zion Church and Kochchikade St. Anthony’s Church bombings and said he had sought to protect Muslims in Jaffna amid fear and tension. He argued that decades of racism, pogroms, insurrections, and mass graves had harmed the country, and called for transforming Sri Lanka into a better country for future generations. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. M.K.M. Aslam JJB AI summary Hon. M.K.M. Aslam argued that responsibility for the Easter Sunday attacks and subsequent communal violence should not be placed solely on the current government, citing failures of the then government, including security lapses and attacks on Muslims after 21 April 2019. He called for justice for Christian victims while also highlighting the detention and hardship faced by Muslims under the PTA and other laws, stating that punishment should follow only where evidence exists. He warned against turning the attacks into a Sinhala-Muslim issue and said the Government’s present debate was a necessary step toward accountability and national security. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam ACTC AI summary G.G. Ponnambalam argued that where the State is itself implicated, including in the Easter attacks and alleged mass graves such as Chemmani, domestic investigations cannot command legitimacy and should be replaced by international investigations rather than only an independent prosecutor with foreign assistance. He said past failures in Chemmani and the Government’s position on war crimes prosecutions show victims cannot trust State-led processes. He also raised the detention of Mohamed Suhail Mohamed Rifai under the Prevention of Terrorism Act over a social media post about Palestine, questioned the legal basis for treating it as a PTA offence, and called for government intervention to secure the release of such detainees. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. (Mrs.) Saroja Savithri Paulraj - Minister of Women and Child Affairs JJB AI summary The Minister, speaking in the adjournment debate on the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, recalled the deaths, injuries, and subsequent social distrust, particularly the suspicion faced by Muslim communities and women wearing Islamic attire. She argued that politicians had exploited language, ethnicity, and religion for power, drawing parallels with Sri Lanka’s war experience and global conflicts in which civilians became victims. She stated that the Government is committed to social justice, equal citizenship for Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim communities, and ensuring justice and punishment for those responsible for the Easter attacks. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Major General (Rtd.) Aruna Jayasekera - Deputy Minister of Defence JJB AI summary Aruna Jayasekera raised a point of order to clarify remarks referring to him as former Eastern Commander, stating that only a small segment within intelligence, not the wider apparatus, had assisted an extremist group for political purposes. He emphasized that intelligence and CID units remain professional, citing their handling of the Arugam Bay incident, and said a criminal investigation is ongoing. He added that he fully cooperated with the CID, spending six hours giving evidence about events during the previous government and his own actions as Eastern Commander. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 Hon. Mujibur Rahman SJB AI summary Hon. Mujibur Rahman criticized President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the Government for not fulfilling election promises to identify and prosecute those responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks. He argued that the President had previously alleged State involvement and named possible actors, and demanded that the Government investigate and disclose who assisted Zaharan, who protected the perpetrators, and whether figures such as Gotabaya Rajapaksa or Suresh Sallay were involved. He also raised specific questions about the Sainthamaruthu incident, the death of Zaharan’s brother, and the alleged survival and removal of Sara, urging the Government to use investigators such as Shani Abeysekara and Ravi Seneviratne to bring the masterminds before the law. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Mujibur Rahman SJB AI summary Mujibur Rahman said the Easter Sunday bombings were a conspiracy involving elements of the State and noted that both his side and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s side had promised to identify the masterminds. He tabled the Malalgoda Committee report, the Imam Committee report on the Channel 4 broadcast, and evidence from former DMI head Chula Kodituwakku for investigators’ use. He argued that the Government, having received the public mandate after promising justice, now bears responsibility for finding and prosecuting those behind the attacks. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development JJB AI summary Minister Anil Jayantha said the Easter Sunday attacks were an organised and networked crime requiring a comprehensive investigation, not a narrow attribution to a few individuals or extremist labels. He argued that past failures of governance had created public distrust in justice processes, and said the NPP Government would not obstruct investigations or allow the matter to be buried. He linked the attacks to “fear politics” and the pursuit of political power, citing severe economic, social and democratic consequences, and called on the Opposition to cooperate with investigative agencies rather than undermine or leak information. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Muneer Mulaffer - Deputy Minister of National Integration JJB AI summary Muneer Mulaffer said the post-2009 governments failed to promote reconciliation after the war and instead allowed communal suspicion to grow, citing incidents in Digana, Ampara, Gintota, Minuwangoda and Kuliyapitiya. He argued that investigations into the Easter attacks should punish all planners and perpetrators, while also examining media outlets and political actors that spread communal hatred through false narratives. He stated that the wider Muslim community had no motive for the Easter bombings, acknowledged Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith’s role in preventing further violence, and called for measures to ensure such communal unrest does not recur. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Ananda Wijepala JJB AI summary Ananda Wijepala raised a point of order stating that cases relating to the attack have been filed and are being heard in the Batticaloa High Court. He argued that earlier governments had misdirected investigations, and that if the Vavunativu Police post killings had been correctly identified at the time, the Easter Sunday attacks could have been prevented. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law SJB AI summary Hon. Rauff Hakeem argued that the Easter Sunday attacks require further investigation into alleged links mentioned in the Presidential Commission report, including “Abu Hinde” and “Pakkam Abu,” and called for key witnesses such as Saharan’s wife, Hadiya, to be examined without intimidation. He questioned the role of the Attorney General’s Department in objecting to her evidence and urged the Government to identify and disclose any “deep state” actors referred to by the President. Referring to B Report 35882/24 connected to the Channel 4 matter, he criticized the investigation for charging only a subordinate officer while not proceeding against two others, and demanded that the Government handle the inquiry transparently. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law SJB AI summary Rauff Hakeem criticized the limited role being attributed to the Office on Missing Persons, arguing that when Sri Lanka’s international reputation is at stake, the OMP should not be reduced to a merely observational body. He characterized the situation as a serious tragedy. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law SJB AI summary Hon. Rauff Hakeem referred to the killing of over 150 Muslim Hajj pilgrims and their family members by the LTTE at Kurukkalmadam and stated that a related case remains dormant in the Batticaloa Magistrate’s Court despite requests for excavation. He urged the Ministry and the Office on Missing Persons to take action on the matter. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law SJB AI summary Rauff Hakeem questioned the Government’s inaction on alleged mass graves linked to past violence, including sites at Hokandara, Gampaha, Matale and Sooriyakanda. He argued that even graves said to contain slain JVP members had not been excavated, and called for those sites to be investigated as well. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law SJB AI summary Rauff Hakeem cited Section 11(e) of the Office on Missing Persons Act, noting that it empowers the OMP to establish committees, divisions, and units and delegate functions to them. He urged that these committees be appointed, stressing that the matter has international significance. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law JJB AI summary Harshana Nanayakkara stated that information regarding Chemmani had been provided to court. He assured the Member that the relevant work was being carried out. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law JJB AI summary Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara stated that the Chemmani mass grave excavations are proceeding under court orders without obstruction, with work having commenced on the 26th. He said the Office on Missing Persons is observing and providing necessary support, including financial assistance, and that personal security has been deployed to the site. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law SJB AI summary Rauff Hakeem criticized remarks by Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala and urged authorities to first locate Ishara Sewwandi before pursuing claims regarding Sara Jasmin’s DNA. He then raised concern over ongoing excavations of alleged mass graves at Chemmani, citing reports of victims’ remains and limited government presence at the site. Referring to Section 12(d) of the Office on Missing Persons Act, he questioned whether the OMP had exercised its powers to seek court orders for excavation or observe the process, and urged the responsible Minister to act and properly operationalize the OMP. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →
- 9 July 2025 The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation and Leader of the House of Parliament JJB AI summary Bimal Rathnayake argued that the Easter Sunday attacks were part of a wider political and security failure, alleging that conditions of anti-Muslim sentiment and instability were cultivated after 2015 to enable the Rajapaksas’ return to power. He accused the then Government and later administrations of ignoring intelligence warnings, failing to prevent the attacks, and not conducting proper investigations, including sidelining officers such as Shani Abeysekara and Ravi Seneviratne. He linked the attacks to subsequent economic damage, especially the collapse of tourism, and said the current Government has revived stalled cases and seeks judicial proof of the planners and operators behind the attacks. Adjournment Debate: Easter Sunday Terrorist Attacks (21 April 2019) Read →