The Message of the Chairperson Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Safeguarding the right to peaceful protest enshrined in Article 14(1)(a) of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, subject to the exceptions contained therein, is paramount to the Commission as well as to me personally. I believe it is crucial to bolster democracy in Sri Lanka, which will fortify the protection of human rights, as there is no doubt that democracy and human rights are intrinsically linked. The Commission has been vigilantly monitoring the civilian protests in Sri Lanka, particularly those in 2022. In this regard, the Commission has heard complaints by protesters and conducted inquiries into the human rights violations which have occurred at protests. In addition to providing legal redress in these situations, the Commission resolved to take proactive measures to safeguard the right to peaceful protests and prevent the violation of fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution at protests in the future. To that end, I take pride in recommends the ‘Recommended Guidelines to the State and Law Enforcement Officials on Dealing with Civilian Protests’ which the HRCSL urges law enforcement officials to adhere to and offers its’ They are based on national law and Sri Lanka’s international human rights obligations, which the State is responsible for giving effect to. Moreover, I firmly believe that implementing the recommended guidelines will achieve the above objectives to the fullest, together with the application and enforcement of existing law. I take this opportunity to thank my fellow Commissioners, Ms. Anusuya Shanmuganathan, Ven. Kalupahana Piyarathana Thero, Dr. Vjitha Nanayakkara, and Dr. Nimal Karunasiri for their unwavering support. I would also like to extend my profound gratitude to Mr. Ranjith Uyangoda, Secretary of the Commission, Mrs. Hema Dharmawardena, Additional Secretary of the Commission, and all my staff at the Commission who worked tirelessly to make this endeavour a success. …..…………………………………………… Justice Rohini Marasinghe Chairperson Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka iii