Civil society organisations condemn draconian laws; withdraw from Open Government Partnership

Colombo (News 1st) - Civil society organisations involved in the Open Government Partnership on Thursday withdrew from the initiative, condemning the increasingly draconian laws being rolled out by the government.

In a letter to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the co-conveners of civil society organisations, Nadishani Perera, Executive Director of Transparency International Sri Lanka, and Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, President of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, stated that the decision was taken in response to "alarming developments in the country that are in direct contravention to the principles of open government."

They cited in particular, the passing of the Online Safety Act, together with the Anti-Terrorism Bill that has been proposed, and demanded that they be repealed and withdrawn respectively.

"The departure from democratic principles raises significant concerns about the government's commitment to upholding fundamental freedoms and maintaining an inclusive and participatory approach to governance," the letter stated.