HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF SRI LANKA, Annual Report 2019 custody on suspicion of involvement in the attack, often under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). A major concern was retaliatory attacks against the Muslim community which stood collectively indicted in the public mind. The Commission issued a public appeal calling on the citizenry to rely on non-violent solutions and also called on the police to pre-empt possible retaliatory attacks. However, as the Commission’s fears became a reality in May, it sent teams headed by Commissioners to investigate failure on the part of the police to provide protection to the affected communities. The Commission’s observations and recommendations in that regard were communicated to the Inspector General of Police and released to the public. As complaints of discrimination against members of the Muslim community mounted, the Commission issued recommendations to the police, Health and Education authorities, Provincial Councils and Local Authorities, on matters including arrest and detention, ensuring access to members of the Muslim community to public spaces and public services without discrimination and the right to engage in commercial activities without hindrance. Also, as Muslim women’s cultural attire became a contentious issue, the Commission issued a recommendation to the government that any attempt to introduce discriminatory dress codes would be a violation of the Constitution and Sri Lanka’s international human rights obligations. The Commission also wrote to the Chambers of Commerce and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka urging nondiscriminatory treatment of members of the Muslim community on matters falling within their respective mandates. The year saw the Commission and its Regional Offices engaging in a series of town hall meetings around the country with the aim of facilitating much needed dialogue among the various ethnic and religious communities. A major focus of those discussions was the rising tide of hate speech on social media. HRCSL had continued to monitor the growing incidence of hate speech on social media mainly targeting minority communities, especially the Muslim community, and had made 4