HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF SRI LANKA, Annual Report 2019 representations to HE the President and the Police to underscore the critical need to enforce s. 3 of the ICCPR Act, No. 56 of 2007 (the provision criminalizes hate speech). The Commission’s observation, however, was that the law was instead being used to blunt legitimate free expression including dissent, with most arrests being made for expressions that were deemed to be insulting toward the majority community. The misapplication of the law prompted the Commission to issue guidelines during the year on the application of s. 3 of the ICCPR Act. The Guidelines were formulated taking into consideration international jurisprudence on hate speech under the ICCPR and Rabat Plan of Action (2013). ‘Words Hurt: Youth Reflections on Hate Speech’ was the theme of the year’s HRCSL Human Rights Youth Camp as well as of the year’s Human Rights Day event on December 10th. The Commission prioritized these activities to underscore, especially among the youth, the critical importance of actively rejecting hate speech if all communities who call Sri Lanka their home were to live in a mutually respectful environment and move forward. Similarly, in keeping with the Commission’s commitment to promoting and protecting rights of marginalized communities, several initiatives were launched during the year to champion rights of persons with disabilities. HRCSL’s International Women’s Day- 2019 commemorative event held in Colombo and the regions was themed ‘Mainstreaming For A Life With Dignity’ and focused exclusively on life experiences of women with disablities. The celebratory spirit in which the event was embraced by disability rights advocates was very moving. In another significant development, the Minister of Finance, Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, responded magnificently to the Commission’s request to make budgetary allocations to facilitate disability access to public spaces. The Commission’s Sub-Committee on disability rights also presented its recommendations to the Ministry of Social Empowerment on strengthening the draft Disability Rights Bill by making it compliant with 5