The heavy international focus on prosecutions for war-time human rights abuses in Sri Lanka is a reductive view, often shutting down discussion as opinions become divisive. On the one hand, calls for prosecution come with the demand to have international judges, to ensure a credible process that addresses the deterioration of the criminal justice system. On the other hand, prosecution is often said to betray “war heroes” and international participation to undermine sovereignty. Even as post-war communities strive to come to terms with the aftermath of war while struggling against neoliberal development policies imposed on them, solutions proposed by international heavyweights frequently override the concerns of the affected people.
Following regime change in 2015, Sri Lanka is moving on major reforms this year. The government claims it is addressing the aspirations of its citizens, including the most war-affected people, through a constitutional political solution, a robust transitional justice process and far-reaching economic development. Yet, the lived realities and the struggles of the people may well contradict the work of the experts putting forward these reforms.
The northern and eastern regions, repressed for decades by war and post-war militarization, saw a plurality of democratic voices emerge early this year, as people gathered in large numbers to the District Secretariats to present their ideas for the new constitution. They articulated issues rarely discussed in the media, such as caste, gender, customary law and innovative institutional structures, through the lens of everyday life and events. What will become of these submissions, however, remains in question.
