Chapter One: Introduction The year 2015 witnessed major changes in the country such as the Presidential Election in January and the General Election in August. The elections took place in a relatively peaceful atmosphere without major incidents of violence reported. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) played a very active role together with the Elections Commission and took many steps to ensure free and fair elections as illustrated in the section on the activities of the Monitoring and Review Division in chapter two of this report. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka was passed curtailing the powers of the Executive President, strengthening the process of democracy in the country and providing for the re-establishment of independent commissions. The HRCSL too was reconstituted in October, 2015 as an independent Commission. This report contains the activities carried out by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka during the year 2015. 1.1 The Composition, mandate and functions of the Commission The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka is an independent body established by Act No.21 of 1996 to promote and protect human rights of the people of Sri Lanka. The functions of the Commission are laid down in Section 10 of the Act and are as follows: (a) Inquire into and investigate complaints regarding procedures with a view to ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Constitution relating to fundamental rights and to promoting respect for, and observance of, fundamental rights, 9