Writing in response to the state of emergency declared by Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, CIVICUS highlights that the emergency measures enable authorities "to detain people without warrants, seize property, enter and search any premises, suspend laws and issue orders that cannot be questioned in court".

The Sri Lankan police deliberately allowed a violent attacker to escape, residents of a Chunnakam neighbourhood have alleged.

On Monday, a sword-wielding group broke into a house near Ezhalai Sivaguru shop and attacked the occupants of the house and damaged the belongings in the house.

While the mob fled the scene as neighbors gathered upon hearing the commotion, one attacker was apprehended by the locals.

Scottish Justice Minister, Keith Brown, has come under fire for misleading members of Scottish parliament as to why Police Scotland has suspended its training programme with Sri Lanka's police forces, which have implicated in grevious human rights violations.

Heavy rains have been lashing Mannar for several days, causing a flood in the district. 

The Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission is set to investigate the death of Shamsudin Mohammad Ramzan, who died in Mannar Hospital whilst under police custody, the Commission’s Northern Province Coordinator T.Kanagaraj said on Sunday. 

The Police arrested Ramzan,along with another person, on Friday, October 1. 

Indian Foreign Secretary, Shri Harsha Vardhan Shringla, reaffirmed "India's commitment to protecting the rights of Tamils through full implementation of the 13th amendment" during his visit to Jaffna.

Despite ongoing criticism of their involvement in civilian affairs in the North-East, the Sri Lankan military ramped up search operations  in Mannar with sudden vehicle searches and patrols, normalising wider patterns of militarisation of the Tamil homeland.

Cambodia has banned the broadcast of ‘Methagu’ a movie based on the life of Velupillai Prabhakaran the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) following a request made by the Sri Lanka government which identify “the LTTE as one of the most brutal terrorist organisations in the world.” 

UK High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, Sarah Hulton, met with Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, G. L. Peiris, last week to discuss bilateral relations, trade and human rights.

Tamil families of the disappeared demonstrated across the North-East on Friday to mark Children's Day in Sri Lanka.

Protesters held up photographs of children who had been forcibly disappeared along with their parents who had surrendered to the Sri Lankan army in May 2009.

Speaking at the a confrence held by the British Tamil Conservatives, UK ministers and parliamentarians thanked the British Tamil community for their contribution to the country and reaffirmed their committment to "truth, justice, and reconciliation" in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan police officers reportedly fired shots in the air in Jaffna last week, as an Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) member and two others were arrested after a traffic stop in Urelu.

According to Sri Lankan police reports, two men on a motorcycle were stopped by police for driving recklessly on Monday when a third man, allegedly an EPDP Pradeshiya Sabha member arrived at the scene and began to challenge the police officers.

A Muslim man has died after spending a night in police custody in Mannar.

A 29-year-old householder identified as Ramzan died at the Mannar District General Hospital, where he was admitted by Mannar police this morning.

Ramzan and another individual were arrested on Friday night when their three-wheeler was stopped and searched by Mannar police, allegedly on suspicion of possessing drugs. 

Colombo Magistrate Lochana Abeywickrema has ordered the remand of 14 military personnel in connection with the murder of the captain of the Thotalaga Elee Sports club,Pinchadewage Akila Sampath Ratnasiri.