Sunday Times 2
The standard-bearer of human rights campaigns in Lanka – Appreciations
View(s):Suriya Wickramasinghe
On April 29, 2026, Sri Lanka lost one of its steadfast and longest-serving advocates for human rights, Suriya Wickramasinghe, best known as the face of the Civil Rights Movement (CRM), of which she was a founding member and secretary.
Suriya began her legal career in the late 1960s and devoted her life to advancing the cause of human rights both in Sri Lanka and internationally. Over the decades, she became a formidable voice for justice, combining intellectual rigour with a deep moral conviction.
She came from a family where public life and principles were inextricably intertwined. The daughter of Dr S.A. Wickramasinghe and Doreen Wickramasinghe, she was immersed early on in ideas of justice and equality. At the bar, she practised under leading lawyers of the time such as S. Nadesan QC and her contemporary Nimal Senanayake. She was involved in significant cases that involved principles of justice – the Kalawana constitutional cases, challenges to the Press Council Bill, the breach of parliamentary privilege proceedings involving S. Nadesan QC, the Paul Nallanayagam case (1986), the Welikada Prison compensation case, and the Nallaratnam Singarasa case.
Yet, it was never simply about the law in the abstract. Her work was always grounded in the lived realities of those affected by injustice. In the 1970s – a time when it was neither popular nor easy to pursue justice – she was among the few who courageously defended the rights of those implicated in the first JVP uprising, when the state’s response was severe and marked by widespread human rights violations. She spoke out against custodial torture, the misuse of emergency regulations, and the structural inequalities that underpinned much of the unrest. She was also a consistent and principled advocate for the abolition of capital punishment.
Her work extended well beyond Sri Lanka. In the 1970s, she was appointed to Amnesty International’s International Executive Committee and later served as its chair from 1983 to 1985. During this time, she helped strengthen the organisation’s global advocacy at a formative moment. When Amnesty International was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, she had the honour of receiving it on behalf of the organisation. Through her work at Amnesty, she helped shape conversations and standards that continue to influence human rights advocacy today.
At home her commitment to the Civil Rights Movement was constant and exacting. Much of the organisation’s day-to-day work, such as research, drafting, responding to new laws, and assisting victims, fell to Suriya and a small group of dedicated colleagues. Under her guidance, the CRM became a principled and credible voice during the country’s most difficult times. Its work was recognised internationally through the Carter–Menil Human Rights Prize in 1990, which it shared with the Council of Ethnic Communities “Runujel Junam” of Guatemala.
She also played a critical role in deepening the understanding of emerging international human rights principles and in advocating for Sri Lanka’s accession to key international conventions and treaties; foremost among them were the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights and its optional protocols. In the late 1980s, as Sri Lanka grappled with a southern insurrection and a civil war, Suriya, along with Manel Fonseka and others, sought to make known the relevance of international humanitarian law and the role of the International Committee of the Red Cross in situations of internal conflict. Issues such as torture and enforced disappearances, now widely recognised, were brought into sharper focus as distinct offences engaging state responsibility through the work of Suriya and her colleagues.
To me she was aunty, mentor and friend. A close and enduring friend of my father, Nimal Senanayake, Suriya, along with Desmond Fernando, was part of a generation that helped lay the foundations for human rights advocacy in Sri Lanka, shaping not only a body of legal work but also a way of thinking about the law itself: as something that must evolve, must be questioned, and must ultimately serve the people. They engaged strategically with the Bar Council at a time when it was emerging from colonial influences, challenging the conservative orthodoxy of its membership and contributing to the evolution of a more progressive and inclusive legal culture. Their efforts also helped pave the way for the present-day Bar Association.
During the last few years, I had the privilege of spending time with her while working on a publication on the Civil Rights Movement. Through these conversations – often over tea with butter cake – she spoke of the legal arguments, logic underpinning CRM’s interventions and navigation of the political currents of the time. She also reflected on the music that inspired her – among her favourites was “Joe Hill” by Paul Robeson, a song my father would often be called upon to sing to her.
Her life to me was one of quiet courage, steadfast commitment, and profound impact. She leaves behind a legacy that will no doubt continue to inspire generations of human rights activists to come. Farewell, dear Aunty Suriya.
Renuka Senanayake