Renewed Concerns Amid Anti-Muslim Repression in Sri Lanka
August 19th, 2025
Justice For All Canada’s Sri Lanka Task Force expresses increasing concern over findings of minority treatment in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner (OHCHR)’s August 2025 report and the US State Department’s 2024 country report on Sri Lanka. Both reports document the Sri Lankan government’s ongoing targeting of Muslim minorities at home and abroad.
According to the UN, Sri Lankan authorities continue to disregard religious freedoms by using the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) against Muslims, despite repeated promises to repeal it. For instance, earlier this year, authorities detained a 23-year-old Muslim youth under the PTA for displaying a sticker critical of Israel in a private shopping mall. Following public outcry, he was released on bail and subjected to severe restrictions. Justifying prolonged detention under the PTA, authorities also continue to arrest and detain Tamil and Muslim individuals for participating in peaceful memorial events and protests.
The State Department’s report notes that hate speech targeting Muslims remains largely unchecked, with Sri Lankan authorities selectively applying anti-Muslim speech restrictions and tolerating Islamophobic content. Civil society organizations report that legal instruments designed to prevent hate speech, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act, have been weaponized to silence dissent and suppress expression critical of the government.
In June 2025, the Sri Lankan government renewed its ban on several Muslim organizations under the pretext of counterterrorism. Some of these groups were community-based and have never been credibly linked to violence. The US’ 2024 country report correctly designates these actions as transnational repression, where predominantly Muslim diaspora organizations and individuals have faced surveillance, restrictions and intimidation. Despite the clear political and discriminatory function, Sri Lanka’s government has continued to use “proscription” to label entire communities as suspects. These measures have gone largely unchallenged.
We urge Canada’s government to support the UN report’s recommendations, which call on the Sri Lankan government to:
1. End its misuse of the PTA, and repeal it in full;
2. Cease targeting memorialization and protest activity in Muslim and Tamil communities;
3. Stop criminalizing political expression.
4. Bring Sri Lanka’s domestic counterterrorism laws into compliance with international human rights standards.
As part of its human rights and foreign affairs commitments, Justice For All Canada urges the Canadian government to adopt a stronger focus on minority rights and freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.
Justice For All Canada’s Sri Lanka Task Force expresses increasing concern over findings of minority treatment in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner (OHCHR)’s August 2025 report and the US State Department’s 2024 country report on Sri Lanka. Both reports document the Sri Lankan government’s ongoing targeting of Muslim minorities at home and abroad.
According to the UN, Sri Lankan authorities continue to disregard religious freedoms by using the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) against Muslims, despite repeated promises to repeal it. For instance, earlier this year, authorities detained a 23-year-old Muslim youth under the PTA for displaying a sticker critical of Israel in a private shopping mall. Following public outcry, he was released on bail and subjected to severe restrictions. Justifying prolonged detention under the PTA, authorities also continue to arrest and detain Tamil and Muslim individuals for participating in peaceful memorial events and protests.
The State Department’s report notes that hate speech targeting Muslims remains largely unchecked, with Sri Lankan authorities selectively applying anti-Muslim speech restrictions and tolerating Islamophobic content. Civil society organizations report that legal instruments designed to prevent hate speech, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act, have been weaponized to silence dissent and suppress expression critical of the government.
In June 2025, the Sri Lankan government renewed its ban on several Muslim organizations under the pretext of counterterrorism. Some of these groups were community-based and have never been credibly linked to violence. The US’ 2024 country report correctly designates these actions as transnational repression, where predominantly Muslim diaspora organizations and individuals have faced surveillance, restrictions and intimidation. Despite the clear political and discriminatory function, Sri Lanka’s government has continued to use “proscription” to label entire communities as suspects. These measures have gone largely unchallenged.
We urge Canada’s government to support the UN report’s recommendations, which call on the Sri Lankan government to:
1. End its misuse of the PTA, and repeal it in full;
2. Cease targeting memorialization and protest activity in Muslim and Tamil communities;
3. Stop criminalizing political expression.
4. Bring Sri Lanka’s domestic counterterrorism laws into compliance with international human rights standards.
As part of its human rights and foreign affairs commitments, Justice For All Canada urges the Canadian government to adopt a stronger focus on minority rights and freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.