Sri Lanka and the legal threat to religious freedom (Overview)
Rome (AsiaNews) Religious freedom in Sri Lanka is threatened by two draft laws which are pending parliamentary approval: the "Bill on the Prohibition of Forcible Conversions" and the "Act for the Protection of Religious Freedom". Both aim at punishing those who "facilitate" conversions with "fraudulent means".
The so-called anti-conversion law, the "Bill on the Prohibition of Forcible Conversions", is due to be discussed in parliament tomorrow. Proposed by the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party, made up of Buddhist monks, the bill was tabled on July 2004. It calls for individuals to inform local authorities of their conversion within a prescribed period of time and states that "No person shall convert or attempt to convert any person from one religion to another by the use of force or by any fraudulent means". Anyone who breaches this law would be subject to up to five years imprisonment and a fine of up to 150,000 Rupees (1,508 dollars). The penalty amounts to as much as 7 years imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 rupees (5,027 dollars) if converts fall under the so-called Schedule 1", a category considered to be at a higher risk of "forced conversions", and includes women, children, prisoners, the physically or mentally disabled, students, hospital patients, refugees, armed forces or police force members.
Following an appeal by Sri Lanka's National Christian Evangelical Alliance, the Supreme Court ruled that two of the law's articles were unconstitutional, as they violated Article 10 of the Constitution which ensures religious freedom and the freedom to have or adopt a religion or creed of one's own choice.
Another law awaiting a second reading in Parliament is the "Act for the Protection of Religious Freedom". Presented by the Minister for Buddhist Affairs, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, this draft law goes well beyond the one proposed by the JHU and aims at prohibiting any type of conversion. Its penalties foresee 7-year imprisonment and large fines. Furthermore, the law would establish an independent judiciary system controlled by Buddhist monks. The "Sanghadhikarana" (Buddhist court) would judge cases put forward by villagers without going through police or state judiciary authorities. (MA)
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