(English) HRCSL Press Notice on HRCSL Observations and Recommendations on the Bill to Amend Sections 363 and 364 of the Penal Code (Chapter 19)
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) wrote to the Ministry of Justice concerning the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill published in the Official Gazette on 13 February 2024.
HRCSL reviewed the said Bill and shared its observations and recommendations on the Bill in terms of its mandate under section 10(c) of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Act, No. 21 of 1996. The said provision empowers the Commission to ‘advise and assist the government in formulating legislation…in furtherance of the promotion and protection of fundamental rights’.
The HRCSL’s observations and recommendations aimed to ensure the Bill’s compatibility with the fundamental rights chapter of the Sri Lankan Constitution and Sri Lanka’s international human rights obligations, including under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
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