International Crisis Group

Sri Lanka tells NGOs to keep quiet | Philip J. Victor

The government of Sri Lanka has issued a directive to NGOs operating in the country, telling them not to hold press conferences or conduct workshops and trainings for journalists, deeming such activities by organizations to be “beyond their mandate.” 

The notice, issued by the National Secretariat for Non-Governmental Organizations, which operates under the Ministry of Defense & Urban Development, stated that all NGOs should steer clear of “such unauthorized activities with immediate effect,” a warning that was quickly condemned by NGOs as unconstitutional. 

“All governments that respect democratic values respect the rights of citizens to engage in such lawful activities,” anti-corruption watchdog group Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) said in a release. “Only authoritarian regimes prevent such democratic engagements.”

Alan Keenan, senior Sri Lanka analyst at the International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera that it’s a bit unclear what the directive, which was distributed to organizations Monday, was really intended to do. 

FULL ARTICLE (Al Jazeera)

Photo:  Hash Milhan/flickr