CPA Comms Officer on 19 July, 2023

SC SDs Challenging the Constitutionality of Bills titled “Municipal Councils (Amendment) Act”, “Urban Councils (Amendment) Act” and “Pradeshiya Sabha (Amendment) Act”

Three Private Member’s Bills titled “Municipal Councils (Amendment) Act”, “Urban Councils (Amendment) Act” and “Pradeshiya Sabha (Amendment) Act” were presented to Parliament/ placed on the Order Paper of Parliament on 05th July 2023 as Private Members Bills. The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and its Executive Director filed three Petitions on 14th July 2023 in […]

Categories: Public Interest Litigation submissions
CPA Comms Officer on 4 July, 2023

Sri Lanka’s Microfinance Sector Has A Problem

The chilling stories of these three women show us how unregulated microfinance companies have been forcing thousands of unsuspecting small business owners into crippling financial debt for years – in direct violation of their fundamental rights. Here’s how Sri Lanka’s microfinance sector has gone from startup accelerator to financial debt trap.  

Categories: Capacity Building & Outreach MonitoringVideo
CPA Comms Officer on 1 June, 2023

Proposed Anti – Terrorism Act (ATA) – Key Concerns Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) May 2023

In response to the notice issued on 2nd May 2023 by the Ministry of Justice calling for submission of proposals on the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) by interested parties, the following document contains an initial comment reflecting key concerns that the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has observed, and has continuously raised in the past. Based […]

Categories: DocumentsPublic Interest Litigation
CPA Comms Officer on 31 May, 2023

Statement on Recent Arrests under the ICCPR Act & Shrinking Space for Dissent

Sri Lankan comedian Natasha Edirisooriya was arrested under the ICCPR Act for allegedly violating the country’s freedom of speech laws. The CPA has expressed concern, arguing that the arrest is part of a broader pattern of harassment and intimidation of dissenting voices. Read the full statement in English Read the full statement in Tamil Read […]

Categories: DocumentsPress ReleasesPublic Interest Litigation
CPA Comms Officer on 14 May, 2023

A Brief Analysis of the Aragalaya

A Brief Analysis of the Aragalaya is a modest attempt at providing empirical evidence on the participants of Sri Lanka’s Aragalaya and the public perception of them using data gathered from the island-wide survey on the Aragalaya conducted by the Social Indicator, the survey arm of the Centre for Policy Alternatives. Download the full report HERE  

Categories: Social Indicator
CPA Comms Officer on 21 April, 2023

Unpacking Sri Lanka’s 21st Amendment to the Constitution

The 21st Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution has recently been enacted in response to large-scale public protests that galvanized citizen involvement in politics. This amendment aims to restore and strengthen the balance of powers between the executive, legislature, and judiciary, which had been eroded by the previous government’s actions. The previous 20th Amendment had […]

Categories: All DocumentsBrochure
CPA Comms Officer on 21 April, 2023

Economic Crimes

Economic crimes such as corruption, fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion have severe consequences for society, often perpetuating inequality and undermining human rights. In many countries, the problem of economic crime is exacerbated by the capture of state institutions, where powerful individuals and organizations use their influence to subvert the rule of law and advance […]

Categories: All DocumentsBrochure