Sri Lanka
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- presidential republic
- CONSTITUTION
- August 16, 1978, amended in December 2001
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- a combination of common law, Roman-Germanic law, Kandyan systems, and Jaffna Tamil law
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- unicameral, Parliament
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Supreme Court and Court of Appeal (judges appointed by the President)
RELIGIONS
69.1% Buddhists, 7.6% Muslims, 15% Hindus, 8% Christians, 10% unspecified
From the country
- SEPTEMBER 21, 2000Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
A teenager was sentenced to death by hanging for the...
A teenager was sentenced to death by hanging for the abduction and murder of eight-year-old Sadeepa Lakshan
- SEPTEMBER 15, 2000Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
Sri Lankan convicted murderer Ranwilage Suren Sanjeewa...
Sri Lankan convicted murderer Ranwilage Suren Sanjeewa Fernando, 25, was hanged in Changi Prison, Singapore
- SEPTEMBER 12, 2000Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
The right-wing Sinhalese party Sinhala Urumuya, one...
The right-wing Sinhalese party Sinhala Urumuya, one of the first few parties to make its campaign issues known to the public, released its political manifesto
- MAY 22, 2000Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
Sri Lanka's police narcotics bureau said it had seized...
Sri Lanka's police narcotics bureau said it had seized 38 kilograms (kg) of heroin, the largest ever haul in the country, considered a major transit point for international drug smugglers
- MAY 3, 2000Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels...
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels launched their biggest offensive in their more than two-decade-old bloody campaign for a separate Tamil homeland
- APRIL 26, 2000Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
Sri Lanka abstained from the resolution on the death...
Sri Lanka abstained from the resolution on the death penalty approved by the UN Commission on Human Rights on April 26 (no
- MARCH 22, 2000Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
A senior minister said that Sri Lanka was drafting...
A senior minister said that Sri Lanka was drafting tough new laws to combat the growing wave of violent organised crime
- FEBRUARY 22, 2000Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
The Jaffna Magistrate, M
The Jaffna Magistrate, M
- JANUARY 1, 2000Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
Capital crimes are: murder, causing an innocent person...
Capital crimes are: murder, causing an innocent person to be executed by bearing false witness, offenses against the State, economic offenses, drug offenses and arms trading
- NOVEMBER 11, 1999Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
On November 11, Wator Abata Asharij Zembini, 29, a...
On November 11, Wator Abata Asharij Zembini, 29, a Sri Lankan bus driver at a private school, was put to death in the United Arab Emirates by firing squad because convicted of the premeditated murder of Nasser Abdullatif Mohammed Al Obaidli, an 18-year-ol
- OCTOBER 1, 1999Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
In October, security has been tightened in the country's...
In October, security has been tightened in the country's two main jails amid signs of unrest among the prisoners sentenced to be executed by hanging, following earlier announcements that the death penalty would be carried out in future
- MAY 31, 1999Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
On May 31, the Colombo High Court sentenced 3 Sri Lankans,...
On May 31, the Colombo High Court sentenced 3 Sri Lankans, Basil Mendis, Chaminda Kumara and Ajith Fernando, all in their early twenties, to death for the rape and murder of Rita Manoharan, killed last October