HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF SRI LANKA, Annual Report 2020 Message of the Chairman The year 2020 was identified as the year for holding general elections, and the people hoped to use their sovereignty to elect representatives to parliament for the next five years. With such a backdrop, the year began and there were indications at the beginning of the year that the world was facing health challenges different from other years, and Sri Lanka could not escape it. Following the introduction of the coronavirus as an pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 11th January, 2020, Sri Lanka also began to deal with it. The first case of coronavirus was diagnosed in Sri Lanka on 27th January, 2020, and the patient was a 44-year-old Chinese woman. The first Sri Lankan corona patient was identified on March 11 and since then Sri Lanka has begun to adopt procedures similar to those used by other countries in the world regarding corona pandemic. Isolation of selected areas where patients were reported was initiated and they were provided with the necessary facilities by the health authorities and the police and other security forces. From January 28, the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health publishes data on a daily basis and 12 hospitals island wide have been set up as treatment centers for people suspected of having Covid – 19. National holidays were declared with effect from March 16, with the aim of preventing the spread of the coronavirus. During that time, the heads of the institutions were informed to start a system to encourage the staff to perform their duties from home. The corona pandemic was seen as another manifestation of human rights problems in the country. A problematic issue that arose during this period was the creation of controversy in the country over the manner in which the final rites of persons dying of corona infection would be performed. At that time, the health authorities in Sri Lanka were of the opinion that the bodies of every Sri Lankan who died of coronavirus should be cremated in a crematorium. It was emphasized that no burial should take place. At the time, it was reported that there was a risk of the coronavirus mixing with groundwater and spreading through the burial ground. The Sri Lankan Muslim community has expressed opposition to the issue on religious and cultural grounds and has repeatedly called on health officials to allow the burial of loved ones who die of corona infection. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) pointed out that the Commission should take a decision in this regard together with the Muslim community leaders, taking into account the cultural sensitivities involved in implementing this sensitive issue. Observations and recommendations of the 3