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AdayaalamCentreforPolicyResearch(ACPR)

SituationBriefNo.2

Surveillance,HarassmentandIntimidationofDisappearances’ActivistsintheNorth-East1

August30,2018

I. BackgroundOver the last two years, the issue of enforced disappearances has become an increasinglycentral topic in the conversation around human rights and transitional justice in Sri Lanka,largelyduetotheeffortsoffamiliesofthedisappearedfromtheNorth-Eastwhohavetakentoactivelyprotestingtheissue.

On February 19, 2017, Tamilfamilies of the disappeared inKilinochchi, frustratedwith the lackof action on the issue ofdisappearances, began a continuousroadside protest calling on the SriLankan government tomeet certaindemandsincludingreleasingalistofsurrendees,alistofpastandpresentsecretdetentioncentresandalistofall detainees under the draconianPreventionofTerrorismAct (PTA).2Theprotestbeganafewweeksafterfamilies of the disappeared hadstaged a hunger strike in Vavuniya,which ended when government

officialspromisedtomeettheirdemands,onlytosubsequentlyrenegeonthem.3

1ThisbriefwasresearchedandwrittenbyDharshaJegatheeswaranwithresearchassistancefromAnushaniAlagarajahandTharshanSelvanathanandwithinputsfromGuruparanKumaravadivel.2“FamiliesofmissingprotestinKilinochchi”(20February2018),TamilGuardian,accessedhere:<https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/families-missing-protest-kilinochchi>;AssociationforRelativesoftheEnforcedDisappearanceKilinochchiDistrict,“LetterinadvanceofDay100Protest:HundredDaysoftheCampaignfortheForcefullyDisappeared”(30May2017),accessedhere:<https://solidaritytamilfod.wordpress.com/more-on-tamil-families-of-disappeared-protest/>.3DharishaBastiansandGeetaAnand,“‘GiveUsOurChildrenBack’:HungerStrikersinSriLankaDemandAnswers”(26January2017),TheNewYorkTimes,accessedhere:<https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/world/asia/sri-lanka-hunger-strike-missing.html>;“FamiliesofmissingresumeVavuniyahungerstrike”(24February2017),TamilGuardian,accessedhere:<https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/families-missing-resume-vavuniya-hunger-strike>.

KilinochchiFamiliesoftheDisappearedProtest,May2017

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FollowingtheKilinochchiprotest,TamilfamiliesofthedisappearedinTrincomalee,Mullaitivu,MarunthankernyandVavuniyaalsobegantheirowncontinuousroadsideprotests,allwiththesameaimoffindingtruthandjustice.4As a result of these protests, the conduct and response of the Sri LankanGovernment to theissue of enforced disappearances has come under the spotlight.5Conversely, the familiesthemselves and activists working closely with them have also seen increasing surveillance,harassmentandintimidationbySriLankansecurityforcesorindividualssuspectedtobelinkedtothem.This brief seeks to provide an outline of the security situation facing families of thedisappearedintheNorth-Eastandthecivilsocietyactivistslinkedtothem,andtherebydrawattentiontotheurgentneedtoconsidercrediblevictimprotectionmeasuresandaprocesstodismantleandholdaccountableSriLankanintelligencestructures.II. SurveillanceOfFamiliesOfTheDisappeared’ProtestsInTheNorth-East

Since the protests began in February 2017,familiesofthedisappeared’atthefiveprotestsites have been under constant surveillancefrom Sri Lankan security forces andindividualssuspectedtobeworkingalongsidethem. This surveillance has taken severaldifferent forms including photography,videography,telephonecallsandquestioning.Insomeinstancesitisblatantlyapparentwithuniformedpoliceofficersandmilitaryofficers

who take photographs and try to interrogate protestors.6On the 100th day of the protest inKilinochchi forexample, therewereat least threeuniformedpoliceofficerswithprofessionalphotographyequipmenttakingphotosandvideosofeveryonepresentattheprotestsite.7

4Formoreinformationaboutthespecificdatesfortheproteststartsatthedifferentsitessee“DetailedTimelineofProtestsacrosstheNorth-East”at:<https://solidaritytamilfod.wordpress.com/more-on-tamil-families-of-disappeared-protest/>,citingTamilGuardian.5Forexamplesee:UNHighCommissionerforHumanRightsZeidRa’adAlHussein,“OpeningStatementattheUNHumanRightsCouncil36thSession”(11September2017),accessedhere:<https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22041&LangID=E>;“SriLanka:LittleActiononPromisedJustice,Reforms”(20March2018),HumanRightsWatch,accessedhere:<https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/03/20/sri-lanka-little-action-promised-justice-reforms>;“SwitzerlandcallsonSriLankatoreleaselistofpersonssurrenderedtoarmedforcesin2009”(22March2018),accessedhere:<https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/switzerland-calls-sri-lanka-release-list-persons-surrendered-armed-forces-2009>;“ReleasetheListCampaign”,SriLankaCampaign,accessedhere:<https://www.srilankacampaign.org/take-action/release-the-list/>.6InterviewswithandobservationsofprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedinKilinochchiandMullaitivu,February2017–May2018;InterviewswithprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedinTrincomalee,February–July2017.7ObservationsbyACPRat100thDayofKilinochchiprotest,May30,2017.

100thdayofKilinochchiFamiliesoftheDisappearedProtest

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In other cases,men dressed in civilian clothing come up to the protest sites and try to takephotographsof the familiesof thedisappeared.Whilesometimes it isdiscreet,often themenmakenoattempttohidetheircameras/smartphones,andfamiliesofthedisappearedfeeltheyarepurposefullytryingtointimidatethem.8Thesurveillancedoesn’tstopwithmonitoringtheprotestsfromafar either but also extends to questioning women whoparticipate in the protests. Every woman participating in theprotest thatACPRhas interviewedover the last twoyearshasreceived at least onephone call froman intelligence officer inrelation to their participation at the protests, though usuallymore,sometimesonaweeklybasis.9Thephonecallshavecomefrom varying levels of seniority, and in the case of protestleaders have sometimes come from senior Sinhala-speakingintelligence officers in Colombo questioning about which civilsocietyactorsaresupportingtheireffortsandtheprotestsingeneral.10Families of the disappeared have developed different coping tactics to handle constantsurveillance of their protest sites. As a defencemechanism, early on in the protests familiestooktodirectlyquestioningthosewhoattemptedtotakephotosofthesitesincivilclothinginorder towardoffsuspected intelligencegatherers.11Whilesometimes itworks,other times itpromptsmoreaggressionfromthesuspectedintelligenceperson.12Incertaininstances,particularlywithintelligenceofficerswhocalloverthephones,familiesofthedisappearedhaveoftentriedtoappearcooperativesoastoavoidescalationofintimidationtactics.Unfortunately, thismeansthat theydivulgea largeamountofpersonal informationtointelligenceofficerswhichincreasestheirvulnerability.13The surveillance has also extended to civil society actors who work closely with protestingfamiliesofthedisappeared.Anumberofcivilsocietyactorsreportedtheirphonesbeingtappedand intelligence officers questioning those within their networks about their activities withfamilies of the disappeared and the protests.14Families of the disappeared themselves also

8InterviewswithandobservationsofprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedinKilinochchiandMullaitivu,February2017–May2018;InterviewswithandobservationsofprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedinTrincomalee,February2017.9InterviewswithandobservationsofprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedinKilinochchiandMullaitivu,February2017–May2018;InterviewswithprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedinTrincomalee,February–July2017.10InterviewswithprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedinKilinochchi,March–May2018.11InterviewswithandobservationsofprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedinKilinochchiandMullaitivu,February2017–May2018;InterviewswithandobservationsofprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedinTrincomalee,February–July2017.12InterviewwithprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedinKilinochchiandMullaitivu,February2017–May2018.13InterviewswithandobservationsofprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedinMullaitivu,November2017–March2018.14InterviewwithcivilsocietyactivistfromtheNorth,February2018;InterviewwithcivilsocietyactivistfromtheNorth,May2018;InterviewwithcivilsocietyactivistfromtheNorth,May2018;InterviewwithcivilsocietyactivistfromtheEast,March2018.

“Whatcanwedobuttalktothem[CID]?Ifwepretendtobeniceandcallthem‘mahan’[son]thenmaybethey’llrememberthatinthefuture.”–MotheroftheDisappeared,Kilinochchi

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often get questioned about specific individual names of civil society actors and theirrelationshipstotheprotests.15The overall impact of this on-going surveillance has been multi-fold, but includes furthermarginalizationofprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedfromtheircommunitieswhofearanyassociationtothemcouldpromptsurveillance,andhighlevelsofdistrustwithintheprotestsofnewcomersandoutsidersforfeartheyareworkingforintelligence.16Inonecase,aprotestingmotherofthedisappearedsharedthatshefeltthatlocalsamurdhiofficersinhervillagewerediscriminatingagainstherbecauseofherinvolvementwiththeprotests.17III. ReprisalsAgainstFamiliesOfTheDisappeared’FollowingTheUnHuman

RightsCouncilSession

Representatives from protesting Families of theDisappeared from the North-East attended theUNHumanRightsCouncil inGeneva inboth theMarch and June 2018 sessions, and weresubjected to continued surveillance and evenharassment and intimidation upon their returnonbothoccasions.Following a return from the trip to Geneva inMarch, onemother of the disappeared from theNorth was subjected to phone calls fromindividuals claiming to be CID asking her aboutthe visit and who she had gone with.18Anothermother from the North who had also returnedfollowing this trip, received a phone call from a

seniorSinhalaofficialinColomboaskingheraboutthetripandspecificallynamingcivilsocietyactorswhohadbeeninvolvedinorganizingthetrip.19InJune2018,agroupoffamiliesofthedisappearedfromtheNorth-EastprotestsattendedtheUNHumanRightsCouncilsessionandweresubjectedtointimidationbypersonssuspectedtobe linked to the Sri Lankanmilitary during a side eventwho disturbed the event and beganshoutingat thewomen.20Upon their return,oneof thewomen,aTamil activist andwifeof adisappeared, was reportedly interrogated by intelligence officers at her home.21A few days15InterviewwithandobservationsofprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedinKilinochchi,March–April,2018.16InterviewswithandobservationsofprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedinKilinochchiandMullaitivu,February2017–May2018.17InterviewwithprotestingfamiliesofthedisappearedinKilinochchi,February2018.18Interviewswithmotherofthedisappeared,Northernprovince,March-April2018.19Interviewswithmotherofthedisappeared,Northernprovince,March-April2018.20“UNurgedtoensurethesafetyofTamilMothersoftheDisappearedaftertheyreturntoSriLankafromUNHRC:TGTE”(6July2018),GlobalTamilNews,accessedhere:<http://globaltamilnews.net/english/un-urged-to-ensure-the-safety-of-tamil-mothers-of-the-disappeared-after-they-return-to-sri-lanka-from-unhrc-tgte/>.21“TamildisappearancesactivistattackeddaysafterCIDharassment”(11July2018),TamilGuardian,accessedhere:<https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/tamil-disappearances-activist-attacked-days-after-cid-harassment>.

FamiliesoftheDisappearedattheUNHumanRightsCouncilinGeneva,March2018

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laterwhile ridingherbicyclewithher sonan iron rodwas thrownather,but thankfully shesustainednoinjuries.22Intelligenceofficersgoafterfamily/friendstointimidatedisappearancesactivistOneoftheotherwomenwhowentonthevisittoGenevaalsoexperiencedseriousharassmentandintimidationofherfamilybothbeforeandafterhertriptotheUNHumanRightsCouncilinJune 2018. A few days before her visit to Geneva, one of her immediate familymembers (ayoungwoman)wasstoppedonherwayhome,heldfortwohoursbysecurityforcesbythesideoftheroadandquestionedabouttheactivist'svisittoGeneva.23Thefamilymemberwhowasstoppedwasonherwaytopickuptheactivistfromameetingandsinceshedidnotshowup,

theactivistthoughtsomethingmusthavehappenedtoherandwenttoallthehospitalsnearbyandcalledallher relatives and started asking around about thefamily member.24It was only 2 hours later that shefoundoutthatshewasquestionedbyafewmembersof the CID. The people who questioned the familymember already knewmost of the details about theactivist'stravelandheractivism,andtheactivistfeelsthe purpose of this interrogation was to scare theactivistandherfamily.25

After she came back fromGeneva, the neighbors noticed a stranger in amotorbike near theactivist's house trying to look inside over the wall, who neighbours suspected was anintelligenceofficer.26Theactivist'sneighborsandherrelativeswerealsoaskedaboutherworkandherinvolvementwiththeissueofdisappearancesseveraltimesandweretoldto"tellherstopdoingallthis,it'sforherowngood."27Afriendoftheactivistwholivesabroadalsogotacallfromastrangerandwaswarned to the effect of "tell your friend to stopdoing all these, doesn't shewant to livelong."28TheactivistsaidthateventhoughshewasnotpersonallyquestionedbyCIDinthelastfewmonths, intimidating her friends, family, neighbors and relatives is a strategy the CID isusingtointimidateher.Andtodatetheshestillgetscallsfromunknownnumbersaskingaboutothermeetings and events relating to disappearance and about protests that are happeningacrossNorth-East.29Becauseofhergrowingsafetyconcernsforherfamilyshehasdecidedtobelessinvolvedaroundthedisappearancesissueasshedoesn'twantanythingtohappentothepeople she loves and doesn't want her children to suffer without any parents if anythinghappenstoher.30

22Ibid.23InterviewswithdisappearancesactivistintheEasternprovince,JulyandAugust2018.24Ibid.25Ibid.26Ibid.27Ibid.28Ibid.29Ibid.30Ibid.

“AfewdaysbeforehervisittoGeneva,oneofherimmediatefamilymembers(ayoung

woman)wasstoppedonherwayhome,heldfortwohoursby

securityforcesbythesideoftheroadandquestionedabouttheactivist'svisittoGeneva.”

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Outsideof theNorth-East,aprominentdisappearancesactivist,SandhyaEknaligoda,whohasalsotravelledtotheUNmultipletimes,hasalsobeenthesubjectofsignificantharassmentandintimidation, particularly through social media.31These threats were in particular full forceafterthearrestofaSinhala-Buddhistmonk,GnanasaraTheroinMay2018whowasresponsibleforthreateningheroutsideofhercourtcasein2016.32The intimidation and harassment of families of the disappeared who attend the UN HumanRightsCouncilsessionsamounttodirectreprisalsbySriLankansecurityforces.ThecurrentSriLankanGovernmenthasmarketeditsengagementwiththeUNsinceitcametopowerin2015,tomaketheargumentthattheyarehumanrights-friendly.33ButithasdonenothingtopreventthesecurityforcesfromtreatingactivistswhoengagewiththeUNastraitorsandinthissensearenodifferentfromthepreviousregimes.IV. AttacksOnCivilSocietyActivistsWorkingWithFamiliesOfTheDisappearedInadditiontodirectlyharassingandintimidatingfamiliesofthedisappeared,overthelasttwoyears, civil society actors who have been working with families across the North-East haveincreasinglycomeunderattackfromSriLankansecurityforcesand/orindividualssuspectedtobeworkingwiththem.Asstatedabove,anumberofcivilsocietyactorshavehadtheirphones tapped,andhavehadfamily members, and co-workers questioned about their activities. Some civil society actorsupon returning from the UN Human Rights Council sessions have themselves been directlyquestioned about their activities in relation to the families of the disappeared. 34 Otherjournalists, have been stopped, harassed and intimidated on their way to cover protests offamiliesofthedisappeared.35InMuttur, one disappearances activist has been receiving threats over the phone sinceApril2017 to stop supporting protests over enforced disappearances.36Despite filing a complaintwiththepoliceonthismatter,therehasbeennoactiontakenandthepolicehaveindicatedthey31“Activiststhreatenedandattackedwhilefamiliesofthedisappearedprotesthearings”(7August2018),CIVICUS,accessedhere:<https://monitor.civicus.org/newsfeed/2018/08/07/activists-threatened-and-attacked-while-families-disappeared-protest-hearings/>.32Ibid.33Seeforexample:‘AddressofForeignMinisterMangalaSamaraweeraattheUSInstituteofPeace’(25February2016),MinistryofForeignAffairs,SriLanka,accessedhere:<https://www.mfa.gov.lk/visit/address-of-foreign-minister-mangala-samaraweera-at-the-us-institute-of-peace/>;“SriLanka’sfutureliesongoodinternationalties:SLprezMaithripalaSirisena”(14June2016),TheEconomicTimes,accessedhere:<https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/sri-lankas-future-lies-on-good-international-ties-sl-prez-maithripala-sirisena/articleshow/52742560.cms>.34Interviewswithcivilsocietyactor,May–July2017,NorthernProvince.35Seeforexample:“TamiljournalistharassedbySriLankansoldiersenroutetodisappearancesprotest”(18July2017),TamilGuardian,accessedhere:<https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/tamil-journalist-harassed-sri-lankan-soldiers-en-route-disappearances-protest>;“TamiljournaliststhreatenedbySriLankasoldiers”(30March2017),TamilGuardian,accessedhere:<https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/tamil-journalists-threatened-sri-lankan-soldiers>.36Interviewwithdisappearancesactivist,EasternProvince,MarchandJuly2018.

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donotsupporttheactivist’scomplaint.37ThesameactivistwasassaultedbymembersoftheSriLankanCivilSecurityForcein2014.38CivilsocietyactorworkingonNavatkulidisappearancescaseisphysicallyassaultedIn one recent case a civil society activist was brutally attacked in connection to adisappearancescase.OnJuly14,2018,anassistanttooneofthelawyersinahabeascorpuscaseinprogressintheJaffnaHighCourtwasassaultedbyanassailantwithanironrodwhileridingherbicyclewithheryoungsoninVaddukoddai,Jaffna.39Theassailantcameupbehindherandhersonandhitherontheshouldersbeforehittingherdirectlyonthehead.40Hedidnottakeany of her jewellery or purse, ruling out the possibility of it being a robbery. She washospitalized with a major concussion and remained unconscious for almost 2 hours beforebeing transferred to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.41Vaddukoddai police initially refused toacceptthecomplaintclaimingthatthevictimhadsustainedinjuriesasaresultoffaintingwhileridingonherbicycle.42ItappearedthatthepoliceattachedtotheHospitalpolicepostwerealsoinitially reluctant to register the complaint but later did so on the insistence of one of theCommissionersoftheHumanRightsCommissionwhointervenedontherequestofthevictim’slawyers.43Theyoungfemalelawyer’sassistant,wasassistingonamajordisappearancecaseinvolvingthedisappearance of over 24 Tamil youth in 1996, who were disappeared after they had beendetainedbytheSriLankanarmy.44It isoneof theonlydisappearancecasesfiled inSriLankawhich specifically names a senior army official named as a respondent. The army official inquestionisinactiveduty,andwasinfactpromotedbythegovernmentevenafterthecasehadbeenfiled.45Theattackcameonlyafewdaysafterlawyersforthepetitionershadraisedobjectionstothe presence ofmilitary intelligence personnel in the courtroom.46TheDeputySolicitorGeneralappearingforthearmyofficialhadclaimedthatthemilitaryintelligencewaspresentincourt forhisownsecurity.47Prior to theattack, the lawyers’officehadreceivedother threatsandintimidatingcalls.48Todate,therehasbeennoprogressinthepolicecomplaint.Rather,thevictimreceivedacallfromtheVadukkoddaipoliceaskingwhyshehadapproachedtheHumanRightsCommission.49

37Ibid.38Ibid.39Interviewswithlawyersassociatedtothehabeuscorpuscase,July–August2018.40Ibid.41Ibid.42Ibid.43Ibid.44Ibid.45Ibid.46Ibid.47Ibid.48Ibid.49Ibid.

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V. ConclusionThesecurity situation facing familiesof thedisappearedandassociatedcivil societyactors inthe North-East is of grave concern. As Sri Lanka inches closer to General Elections 2020 inwhich itappearsthatthe ‘JointOpposition’willmakethereturntoastrongNationalSecurityStateoneofitscampaignpriorities,theoverallsecuritysituationhassignificantlydeterioratedraising questions over whether the incumbent Government is attempting to demonstrate itsnational security credentials in response to the Joint Opposition’s campaign. The increase insecuritythreatisparalleltotheincumbentGovernment’spubliclyarticulateddesiretogivethesecurity apparatus a free hand over matters of national security. This brief has sought toprovide a short outline of this situation and highlights that pervasive surveillance hasincreasingly been accompanied by physical violence against families of the disappeared andlinkedcivilsocietyactivists.TheSriLankanstate’sintelligenceapparatusisasophisticatedmachinethatiscapableofmanydifferent forms of intimidation and harassment of disappearances activists.50It is clear thatdespiteimprovementsinthefunctioningoftheHumanRightsCommissionofSriLanka,thereisstill no credible domestic mechanism that can hold Sri Lankan intelligence structuresaccountableandpreventrecurrenceofviolations.WearealarmedbythelackofawarenessabouttherisksfacingdisappearancesactivistsintheNorth-East and the continued positive engagement by international diplomats with the SriLankan government despite these blatant human rights violations. It is imperative that thedismantling of Sri Lankan intelligence structures as part of a larger security sector reformprojectbemadeanecessarypre-conditionforanytypeofengagementwithSriLanka.Withoutholding accountable these shadowy and deep-seeded structures, a culture of impunity willcontinue to enable human rights violations to occur, including but not limited to againstdisappearances’activists.Nomechanismtoaddressdisappearanceswillbeabletosucceedwithoutthisimportantsteptoensuring victim andwitness protection and protect the families of the disappearedwho stillcontinuetosearchfortheirlovedones,inspiteofalltherisks.

50“‘Iliveinfearandgotowork’:Ongoingsurveillance,harassmentandintimidationinSriLanka’sNorth”(February2018),SriLankaCampaign,accessedhere:<https://www.srilankacampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/I-Live-in-Fear-and-Go-To-Work-Sri-Lanka-Campaign-February-2018-compressed.pdf>.