Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Other Persons Act / Rehabilitation of Surrendered & Apprehended Persons 2009 (Sri Lanka)

Summary

Emergency Regulations (2009) provided the legal basis for mass detention of tens of thousands of Tamils surrendering at the end of the war in 'rehabilitation centres.' Detainees (including civilians) were held without charge or trial for up to 36 months. The framework was subsequently institutionalised under the Bureau of Rehabilitation established by Act No. 20 of 2023.

Relevance to the diaspora

Tamil diaspora family members who surrendered in 2009 were held in rehabilitation camps without legal process; the legal framework that enabled this mass detention is documented by diaspora organisations in accountability submissions; the Bureau of Rehabilitation Act 2023 continues a form of extra-judicial detention.

Key provisions

• Emergency Reg. 2009 — authority to detain surrendered persons for rehabilitation
• Bureau of Rehabilitation Act No. 20 of 2023 — institutionalised rehabilitation framework
• Lack of habeas corpus protection during Emergency Regulations period
• ICRC access restrictions to rehabilitation camps

Primary source

Related entries

• → Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1979 (Sri Lanka) (LK)
• → International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 2006 (UN)
• → UN Convention Against Torture (UNCAT) 1984 (UN)