U.S. urges Sri Lanka to arrest and prosecute perpetrators of crimes against religious minorities

The United States has urged the government leaders at the most senior levels, including President Maithripala Sirisena, to arrest and prosecute perpetrators of crimes against religious minorities and to protect religious freedom for all citizens. The 2015 International Religious Freedom Report prepared by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor of State Department says the U.S. embassy in Colombo continued to meet regularly with representatives from a broad range of religious groups to promote cooperative engagement and strengthen bonds between and among various religious and ethnic communities.

The U.S. Department of State Wednesday submitted the congressionally-mandated International Religious Freedom Report 2015 to the United States Congress. Now in its 18th year, this Report comprises almost 200 distinct reports on countries and territories worldwide and continues to reflect the United States' commitment to, and advancement of, the right of every person to freedom of religion or belief. While commending the new government of Sri Lanka for taking measures to improve religious unity and religious freedom, the report noted that the government had not yet prosecuted hardline Buddhist monks involved in attacks in 2014 against Muslims and Christians. It noted that Sri Lankan Parliament's passage of the Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Act in February strengthened safeguards for persons involved in legal actions against criminal perpetrators implicated in attacks upon religious sites. According to the report, sources stated Buddhist monks continued to operate with government protection, and some monks, particularly outside Colombo, regularly tried to close down Christian and Muslim places of worship on the grounds they lacked the Ministry of Justice and Buddha Sasana's approval. The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) documented a total of 87 cases of attacks on churches, intimidation and violence against pastors and their congregations, and obstruction of worship services during the year. NCEASL had reported a total of 96 such incidents in 2014. The Secretariat for Muslims (SFM) recorded 82 incidents of hate speech, acts of discrimination, attempts to desecrate or destroy Muslim religious edifices, and verbal insults upon or use of physical force to impede Muslim cultural practices and rituals in 2015, a 62 percent reduction from the previous year. There were no reported deaths related to interreligious disputes. The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), or Buddhist Power Force, continued to promote the supremacy of the country's ethnic Sinhalese Buddhist population and propagated views hostile toward members of religious and ethnic minorities.