[Statement]	   HRN	   expresses	   concern	   over	   Sri	   Lanka’s	   impeachment	   and	  dismissal	  of	  Supreme	  Court	  Chief	  Justice,	  the	  independence	  of	  the	  country’s	  judiciary,	  and	  the	  overconcentration	  of	  power	  in	  the	  hands	  of	  the	  president	  On	  12	  January	  2013,	  the	  Parliament	  of	  Sri	  Lanka	  voted	  to	  impeach	  the	  country’s	  chief	   justice.	   Human	   Rights	   Now	   (HRN),	   a	   Tokyo-­‐based	   international	   human	  organization,	  condemns	  the	  impeachment	  and	  expresses	  grave	  concern	  over	  the	  independence	  of	  Sri	  Lanka’s	  judiciary,	  and	  the	  overconcentration	  of	  power	  in	  the	  hands	  of	  the	  president.	  
On	   1	   November	   2012,	   a	   parliamentary	   motion	   to	   impeach	   Chief	   Justice	   Shirani	  Bandaranayake	   on	   the	   grounds	   of	   misconduct	   was	   submitted	   by	   President	  Rajapaksa.	  
According	  to	  the	  Constitution	  of	  Sri	  Lanka,	  judges	  cannot	  be	  removed	  unless	  the	  majority	   of	   the	   members	   of	   the	   Parliament	   voted	   for	   the	   motion	   passed	   by	   the	  president.	   However,	   President	   Rajapaksa's	   ruling	   party,	   the	   United	   People's	  Freedom	   Alliance	   Freedom	   Party	   (UPFA)	   occupy	   more	   than	   half	   of	   the	   225	   seats	  in	  the	  parliament,	  thus	  it	  was	  expected	  to	  easily	  win	  an	  impeachment	  vote.	  
Further,	   an	   investigation	   committee	   was	   established	   and	   led	   by	   Chamal	  Rajapaksa,	   the	   elder	   brother	   of	   President	   Rajapaksa.	   On	   8	   November	   2012,	   the	  committee	  found	  the	  chief	  justice	  guilty	  of	  three	  out	  of	  the	  five	  charges	  against	  her.	  
In	  regards	  to	  the	  impeachment,	  a	  fair	  trial	  was	  not	  provided	  and	  the	  proceedings	  lack	  transparency.	  
The	   UN	   Special	   Rapporteur	   on	   the	   independence	   of	   judges	   and	   lawyers,	   Gabriela	  Knaul,	   in	   a	   statement	   released	   on	   31	   December	   2012,	   strongly	   expressed	   her	  concern	  over	  the	  impeachment.	  She	  stated,	  “It	  is	  of	  high	  concern	  to	  me	  that	  the	  procedure	   for	   the	   removal	   of	   the	   Chief	   Justice	   of	   the	   Supreme	   Court	   is	   extremely	  politicized	   and	   characterized	   by	   lack	   of	   transparency,	   lack	   of	   clarity	   in	   the	  proceedings,	   as	   well	   as	   lack	   of	   respect	   for	   the	   fundamental	   guarantees	   of	   due	  process	  and	  fair	  trial”.1	  Similar	   concerns	   have	   been	   voiced	   within	   as	   well	   as	   outside	   of	   Sri	   Lanka.	   The	  International	   Bar	   Association's	   (IBA)	   Human	   Rights	   Institute	   chairperson,	  Baroness	   Helena	   Kennedy	   QC,	   submitted	   a	   letter	   to	   President	   Rajapaksa	  highlighting	   the	   fact	   that	   an	   independent	   judiciary	   is	   a	   ‘vital’	   mechanism	   for	   a	  democratic	   society.2	  The	   International	   Court	   of	   Justice	   (ICJ)	   called	   on	   the	   Sri	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  1	  Office	  of	  the	  High	  Commissioner	  for	  Human	  Rights	  (OHCHR)	  2012,	  ‘Sri	  Lanka:	  Attacks	  on	  the	  independence	  of	  the	  judiciary	  must	  stop,	  warns	  UN	  expert’,	  Office	  of	  the	  High	  Commissioner	  for	  Human	  Rights,	  31	  December,	  <http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12909&LangID=E>	  [Accessed	  16	  January	  2013].	  
2	  Buncombe,	  A	  2012,	  ‘After	  Sri	  Lanka's	  war,	  President	  lines	  up	  judges	  as	  next	  target’,	  The	  Independent,	  1	  November,	  <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/after-­‐sri-­‐lankas-­‐war-­‐president-­‐lines-­‐up-­‐judges-­‐as-­‐next-­‐target-­‐8274493.html>	  [Accessed	  13	  January	  2013);	  The	  International	  Bar	  Association	  (IBA)	  2012,	  ‘BBC	  interview	  with	  IBAHRI	  Co-­‐Chair	  Baroness	  Helena	  Kennedy	  QC’,	  The	  International	  Bar	  Association,	  30	  October,	  Lankan	  government	  to	  ‘adhere	  to	  international	  standards	  of	  due	  process	  in	  the	  impeachment’.3	  	  In	   Sri	   Lanka,	   on	   10	   January	   2013,	   human	   rights	   groups	   voiced	   their	   objections	  against	  the	  impeachment.	  They	  staged	  a	  protest	  march	  in	  the	  country’s	  capital.	  In	  spite	   of	   that,	   fierce	   oppositions	   locally	   and	   abroad	   have	   largely	   fallen	   on	   deaf	  ears	  and	  the	  impeachment	  was	  carried	  on.	  
Since	   July	   2012,	   threats	   and	   attacks	   on	   judicial	   officials	   and	   lawyers	   have	  intensified.	  Accordingly,	  the	  recent	  impeachment	  is	  viewed	  as	  an	  extension	  of	  the	  violation	  of	  the	  independence	  of	  the	  country’s	  judiciary.	  
After	   the	   end	   of	   a	   decades-­‐long	   civil	   war,	   the	   power	   of	   the	   president	   in	   Sri	   Lanka	  has	  been	  increasing.	  
By	  approving	  an	  unlawful	  dismissal	  of	  the	  chief	  justice,	  and	  allowing	  increasing	  attacks	   and	   threats	   against	   judges	   and	   lawyers	   to	   go	   unchecked,	   the	  independence	  of	  Sri	  Lanka’s	  judiciary	  and	  the	  separation	  of	  power	  will	  be	  greatly	  undermined.	  Consequently,	  it	  will	  only	  promote	  the	  growth	  of	  dictatorship	  in	  the	  country.	  
Human	   Rights	   Now	   expresses	   serious	   concern	   over	   the	   situation.	   We	   demand	  that	  the	  Sri	  Lankan	  government	  withdraws	  its	  dismissal	  of	  the	  chief	  justice	  and	  ensures	  the	  safety	  of	  judges	  and	  lawyers	  from	  attacks	  and	  threats	  made	  against	  them,	  	 	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  <http://www.ibanet.org/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleUid=562923c8-­‐358b-­‐4cf1-­‐bb25-­‐b9e1db7ca7bf>	  [Accessed	  13	  January	  2013]	  2013].http://www.ibanet.org/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleUid=562923c8-­‐358b-­‐4cf1-­‐bb25-­‐b9e1db7ca7bf	  3	  International	  Commission	  of	  Jurists	  2012,	  ‘Impeachment	  of	  Sri	  Lankan	  Chief	  Justice:	  Government	  must	  adhere	  to	  international	  standards	  of	  due	  process	  ‘,	  International	  Commission	  of	  Jurists,	  7	  November,	  <http://www.icj.org/impeachment-­‐of-­‐sri-­‐lankan-­‐chief-­‐justice-­‐government-­‐
must-­‐adhere-­‐to-­‐international-­‐standards-­‐of-­‐due-­‐process/>	  [Accessed	  16	  January	  2013].