April 2020, remained in detention without harassment, and at least three cases of access to bail. He was indicted in March and torture in prison. his trial was scheduled for 2022. Poet Ahnaf The Minister for Public Security announced Jazeem, who had remained in prolonged his intention to introduce legislation to detention following his arrest in May 2020 in dismiss human rights cases against police connection with his writings, was released on officers if they are not heard “in a timely bail in December. He was indicted under the manner”. PTA in November. The PTA was also used to The Minister for Prison Management and target, arrest and arbitrarily detain numerous Prisoner Rehabilitation, Lohan Ratwatte, journalists, particularly from the North. Both forcibly entered a state prison in the city of Ahnaf Jazeem and Hejaaz Hizbullah were Anuradhapura in September. The Minister repeatedly denied due process safeguards. held at gunpoint and threatened to kill Tamil They were not informed of the reason for prison inmates, who were incarcerated under their arrest, and they were both held in the PTA. The incident highlighted impunity prolonged administrative detention without for criminal behaviour at the highest levels of judicial oversight to monitor their wellbeing, government. Lohan Ratwatte had not been or access to legal counsel or family. In held to account for his actions and remained March, President Rajapaksa issued new a government minister at the end of the year. regulations under the PTA which would allow DISCRIMINATION for the referral of people suspected of an offence under the PTA or Emergency Sri Lanka’s minority Muslim community faced Regulations to a “rehabilitation” programme. increased marginalization and discrimination The new regulations raised many human as the government targeted Muslims with rights concerns, including the use of overly new policies and laws. broad, subjective language to describe In March, Public Security Minister Sarath offences, and the concern that rehabilitation Weerasekera stated that the government was and detention under the regulations deprived planning to ban more than 1,000 madrasas suspects of due process, access to family (Islamic education institutions) which were and the ability to challenge their detention in operating outside the national education court. Such violations would also place those policy. If authorized, the move would likely arrested at risk of torture and other ill- amount to discrimination on religious treatment. grounds, and may also violate the freedom to EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE AND manifest one’s religion or belief through EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS worship. In April, the cabinet approved a proposal by the same minister to ban the Incidents of deaths in police custody and wearing of face veils. police brutality were widely reported in the In March, the Ministry of Defence stated media. There was no apparent criminal that Islamic books brought into Sri Lanka liability or accountability for law enforcement would only be released following analysis and or government officers in such cases. Civil review by the Ministry, as an alleged society recorded numerous alleged incidents “counter-terrorism measure”. The during the year, including three shootings by government directive discriminates solely on the police, 40 incidents of police violence, 10 the grounds of religion and violates the rights deaths in police custody (some attributed to to religion and belief and to seek, receive and suicide), at least 30 prison deaths (in some impart information and ideas. cases attributed to suicide or Covid-19), at Ahead of sessions of the UN Human Rights least 16 incidents of violence by security Council, Sri Lankan authorities finally moved forces, 24 incidents of violence by to change the policy of forced cremations of government officials including sexual Muslim victims of Covid-19, which began in March 2020. The policy had remained in Amnesty International Report 2021/22 346