INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Over 30 international human rights organisations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of
significant human rights violations.Issuing a joint statement, the 33 international organizations demand the Sri Lankan government to stop
is unfolding in a context of already severe repression against persons who use or are suspected of using drugs, and who suffer
forces have been supporting this operation, during which several human rights violations have been reported
These violations include alleged arbitrary arrests, primarily against individuals from marginalised socio-economic communities; searches
conducted without warrants or reasonable suspicion; and degrading treatment including strip searches in public as well as cavity searches
The searches and arrests have been televised, in violation not only of the right to privacy (and of basic human dignity) but also of a
persons are being arrested even when no drugs are found in their possession, simply for having been arrested for drug offences or having
been sent to compulsory rehabilitation in the past, mention that the arrests of main livelihood earners and mothers have adversely impacted
being arrested primarily under Section 54A of the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, an offence which is non-bailable
As a result, those arrested are bound to spend time (sometimes months) in pretrial detention, thereby exacerbating already poor conditions
of the prison system is at nearly 200% - with punitive drug policies playing a significant role: as of 2022, 63% of convicted persons were
sentenced for drug-related offences, as per the statistics issued by the Department of Prisons.The aforesaid organizations have also
expressed in this joint statement that the total number of arrests pursuant to operation Yukthiya has exceeded 29,000 as of 9 January 2024,
while nearly 1,500 people are in administrative detention in police custody for further investigation and at least 1,600 more persons have
abstinence-based, essential harm reduction services are not available, and persons undergo severe withdrawal symptoms without any medical
rehabilitation centres which are within the purview of the Bureau of the Commissioner General for Rehabilitation and are operated by the
at the conclusion of its visit to Sri Lanka 2017expressed concern regarding the involvement of military personnel in drug treatment and
rehabilitation, the fact that strenuous physical exercise was the core component of compulsory drug treatment, and at the lack of trained
professionals to monitor the health of people in detention
Furthermore, the statement highlighted the irregularities in the judicial process by which persons were sent to drug rehabilitation centres
Session on drugs, there is international consensus on pursuing a holistic and health and human rights-based approach to drugs, which
policy document - as well as multiple resolutions of the UN General Assembly, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, and the UN Human Rights
to drug control contravenes recognised international human rights standards and guidelines, is ineffective to protect individual and public
The government should ensure that those arrested who do not have access to legal representation are provided legal aid, they
stressed.Through the statement, it is also demanded to immediately release persons arrested or sent to compulsory drug rehabilitation for
using drugs/having a drug dependence, cease involving the armed forces in drug control and treatment activities as consistent with human
rights law, repeal laws that allow compulsory drug rehabilitation, close compulsory treatment centres and release persons presently held at
the centres within the purview of the Bureau of Commissioner General for Rehabilitation.Additionally, they have called the government to
ensure that any law enforcement operation to address the supply side is conducted respecting due process standards and constitutionally
Africa Network of People Who Use Drugs (AfricaNPUD) (Africa)2
Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) (Asia)4
Association for Humane Drug Policy (Norway)5
Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation (CDPE) (Canada)6
Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS) (Argentina)7
Correlation - European Harm Reduction Network (Europe)9
Dianova International (Global)10
Drug Harm Reduction Advocacy Network Nigeria (Nigeria)11
Drug Policy Australia (Australia)12
Foreningen Tryggere Ruspolitikk /Safer Drug Policies (Norway)14
Harm Reduction Australia (Australia)16
Harm Reduction International (Global)17
Health Poverty Action (Global)18
Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (Poland)19
Human Rights Watch (Global)20
Instituto RIA AC (Mexico)21
International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)22
International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) (Global)23
International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD) (Global)24
LBH Masyarakat (Indonesia)25
Mainline Foundation (Netherlands)26
National Harm Reduction Coalition (USA)28
Recovering Nepal (Nepal)29
Skoun, Lebanese Addictions Centre (Lebanon)31
Transform Drug Policy Foundation (UK)32
Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network (Zimbabwe)
