A debate on the rule of law and the independence of the legal profession in Sri Lanka

On 25 June 2009, the IBAHRI held an event at the law society, which was attended by over 100 participants, government and non-governmental representatives. The panel discussed the current state of the rule of law and the independence of the legal profession in Sri Lanka in light of the recent International Bar Association Human Rights Institute’s (IBAHRI) report Justice in Retreat: A report on the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law in Sri Lanka, as well as lessons learnt from past Commissions of Inquiry to investigate human rights violations. The panel was comprised of Sri Lankan and UK experts on the situation:

Chair

Alex Wilks IBAHRI Programme Lawyer

Speakers

Rohan Edrisinha Director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, Sri Lanka; Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo

Professor Sir Nigel Rodley Human Rights Centre, University of Essex; UK member of the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) appointed to observe the National Commission of Inquiry (ceased April 2008); Member of the UN Human Rights Committee

Lord William Goodhart QC Member of the House of Lords and leader of the 2009 IBAHRI mission to Sri Lanka; Former Vice President of the International Commission of Jurists

J C Weliamuna Director of Transparency International Sri Lanka; Sri Lankan Supreme Court Advocate and attorney at law