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Archive | Op-eds

Sri Lanka: Protecting transgender persons: Going beyond rule by circular

An opinion piece by Mathuri Thamilmaran, National Legal Advisor – Sri Lanka at the International Commission of Jurists Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals in Sri Lanka have too often been subjected to discrimination, abuse, violence and harassment in violation of their human rights. Throughout the years research reports have continuously identified the […]

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Statement regarding The 8 March Principles

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) recently published a new set of legal principles to address the harmful human rights impact of unjustified criminalization of individuals and entire communities. The document, known as The 8 March Principles, was elaborated and endorsed by lawyers from around the world and sets out a human rights-based approach to […]

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Decolonising the law: Repeal antiquated “morality laws”

Can an alien cultural and moral imposition in violation of human rights become one’s own law and belief? Indeed, this is what British colonialism gifted Sri Lanka through the introduction of “morality laws”, such as the Vagrants Ordinance of 1841 and the criminalisation of consensual same-sex relationships through the Penal Code of 1883. The conversation […]

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