Message of the Chairperson Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Annual Report – 2015 As the newly appointed Chairperson of the HRCSL I have the distinctly difficult task of providing a comprehensive summary of the previous Commission’s activities for this year. The difficulty lies in discussing the activities capturing the essence of its policies and reasoning. Therefore, it is only fair that my message would focus on the new Commission’s vision and plans for strengthening human rights promotion and protection in Sri Lanka. The new Commission was appointed under the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka adopted by Parliament in April, 2015. The new Commissioners were appointed in October, 2015. Earlier in the year people of Sri Lanka exercised their franchise in favour of a political dispensation that pledged democratization respect for human rights of all including setting in motion a process of transitional justice and post-civil war reconciliation. The Nineteenth Amendment was enacted in response to strong public demands for restoration of independence of the judiciary and oversight commissions. Under the Eighteenth Amendment, since repealed, appointments to the judiciary and oversight commissions were, in effect, centralized within the Executive Presidency. The newly appointed Commission is acutely conscious of the significance of the Nineteenth Amendment to the democratization process in Sri Lanka and also of heightened public expectations on improved human rights protection. The new Commissioners bring with them a strong commitment to strengthening the HRCSL and the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, many having years of experience as human rights advocates. We have consistently demanded democratic reforms, including the Nineteenth Amendment, as human rights advocates. The composition of the new Commission also reflects the ethnic and religious diversity in Sri Lanka. Two of the five Commissioners are women, one of who is the Chairperson. As the Chairperson I count myself as being extremely fortunate to be able to work with fellow 6