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Transitional (In)Justice: The Marginalisation of Sri Lanka’s Muslim Minority

Eklund, Emmie LU (2026) LAGM01 20261
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
Between 1983 and 2009, Sri Lanka’s northeast was ravaged by a conflict between the Sri Lankan security forces and the secessionist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The conflict resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, disappearances, and displacements. Sri Lanka’s Muslim minority was caught in the crossfire, directly targeted by both sides to the conflict, and attacked civilians in retaliation. Their needs, losses, and circumstances do not fit comfortably into the binary script that has structured most discourse, advocacy, and scholarship on the conflict and the subsequent transitional justice process. This thesis thus examines to what extent transitional justice has advanced the rights of the Muslim minority in Sri Lanka, and... (More)
Between 1983 and 2009, Sri Lanka’s northeast was ravaged by a conflict between the Sri Lankan security forces and the secessionist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The conflict resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, disappearances, and displacements. Sri Lanka’s Muslim minority was caught in the crossfire, directly targeted by both sides to the conflict, and attacked civilians in retaliation. Their needs, losses, and circumstances do not fit comfortably into the binary script that has structured most discourse, advocacy, and scholarship on the conflict and the subsequent transitional justice process. This thesis thus examines to what extent transitional justice has advanced the rights of the Muslim minority in Sri Lanka, and the contextual circumstances influencing their realisation. It does so through an interdisciplinary human rights-based legal method, consisting of a doctrinal review combined with an empirical assessment of practical consequences and observable impacts of the law through a victim-centred minority rights-based approach, thus placing it in its socio-political context.

The thesis demonstrates that the root causes of the conflict and subsequent violence were deep ethno-religious divisions, structural discrimination, and institutional marginalisation of minority groups that originated in colonial times and have been perpetuated by the political elite and Buddhist clergy. The Muslim minority was differently and specifically impacted as both victim and perpetrator of violence and human rights violations throughout the conflict. The transitional justice process in Sri Lanka has been signified by severe delays due to lack of political will as well as a consistent lack of victim-centredness and Muslim minority perspective, consideration, and inclusion. International interventions made some progress towards fulfilling the criteria of a victim-centred minority rights-based approach, especially through the Special Rapporteur for minority issues, but this effort has weakened in recent years. Since the end of the conflict, the Muslim minority group has been increasingly marginalised and targeted by politicians and the Sri Lankan society. Continuous human rights violations have led to their ostracism and demonisation. This regression in the protection and enjoyment of their rights led to the overall conclusion that the transitional justice process in Sri Lanka has been unable to advance Muslim’s minority rights. Recommendations for measures to achieve a victim-centred minority rights-based transitional justice process for the advancement of the Muslims’ minority rights are presented. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Mellan 1983 och 2009 pågick en konflikt mellan de srilankesiska säkerhetsstyrkorna och den separatistiska organisationen Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) i den nordöstra delen av Sri Lanka. Konflikten resulterade i hundratusentals döda, försvunna, och internflyktingar. Sri Lankas muslimska minoritet hamnade i korselden, blev direkt måltavla för båda sidor i konflikten, och utförde hämndattacker mot civila. Deras behov, förluster, och omständigheter passar inte in i det tvåsidiga narrativ som har präglat större delen av diskursen, opinionsbildningen, och forskningen om konflikten och den efterföljande övergångsrättsprocessen. Denna uppsats undersöker därför i vilken utsträckning övergångsrättvisan har främjat Sri Lankas muslimska... (More)
Mellan 1983 och 2009 pågick en konflikt mellan de srilankesiska säkerhetsstyrkorna och den separatistiska organisationen Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) i den nordöstra delen av Sri Lanka. Konflikten resulterade i hundratusentals döda, försvunna, och internflyktingar. Sri Lankas muslimska minoritet hamnade i korselden, blev direkt måltavla för båda sidor i konflikten, och utförde hämndattacker mot civila. Deras behov, förluster, och omständigheter passar inte in i det tvåsidiga narrativ som har präglat större delen av diskursen, opinionsbildningen, och forskningen om konflikten och den efterföljande övergångsrättsprocessen. Denna uppsats undersöker därför i vilken utsträckning övergångsrättvisan har främjat Sri Lankas muslimska minoritets rättigheter samt de kontextuella omständigheter som påverkar deras förverkligande. Detta görs genom en människorättsbaserad juridisk metod bestående av en doktringranskning kombinerad med en empirisk bedömning av lagens praktiska konsekvenser och observerbara effekter genom ett offercentrerat minoritetsrättsbaserat perspektiv, vilket placerar rätten i sitt sociopolitiska sammanhang.

Uppsatsen visar att de grundläggande orsakerna till konflikten och det efterföljande våldet är djupa etnoreligiösa splittringar, strukturell diskriminering, och institutionell marginalisering av minoritetsgrupper. Samtliga har sitt ursprung i kolonialtiden och har upprätthållits av den politiska eliten och nationalistiska buddhistiska munkar. Den muslimska minoriteten drabbades av konflikten på ett speciellt sätt: de var både offer och förövare av våld och människorättskränkningar. På grund av bristande politisk vilja har Sri Lankas övergångsrättsprocess präglats av stora förseningar. Den uppvisar också en genomgående brist på offerfokus och hänsyn till, samt inkludering av, den muslimska minoritetens perspektiv. Internationella insatser har lett till vissa framsteg i uppfyllandet av kriterierna för en offercentrerad och minoritetsrättsbaserad strategi, särskilt genom den särskilda rapportören för minoritetsfrågor. Dessa insatser har dock försvagats under de senaste åren. Sedan konfliktens slut har den muslimska minoritetsgruppen blivit alltmer marginaliserad och utsatt för angrepp från politiker och det srilankesiska samhället. Konsekventa människorättskränkningar har lett till att de avhumaniserats och utmålats som inkräktare på ön. Uppsatsens slutsats är att övergångsrättsprocessen i Sri Lanka inte har lyckats främja den muslimska minoritetens rättigheter, detta på grund av en tydlig försämring av skyddet för och åtnjutandet av muslimernas rättigheter. Slutligen presenteras rekommendationer om åtgärder för att uppnå en offercentrerad övergångsrättsprocess baserad på minoritetsrättigheter, till främjande av den muslimska minoritetens rättigheter. (Less)
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author
Eklund, Emmie LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGM01 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Transitional justice, victim-centred minority rights-based approach, minority rights, human rights, internal conflict, Sri Lanka, Muslims, sociopolitical context
language
English
id
9237997
date added to LUP
2026-06-18 09:06:14
date last changed
2026-06-18 09:06:14
@misc{9237997,
  abstract     = {{Between 1983 and 2009, Sri Lanka’s northeast was ravaged by a conflict between the Sri Lankan security forces and the secessionist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The conflict resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, disappearances, and displacements. Sri Lanka’s Muslim minority was caught in the crossfire, directly targeted by both sides to the conflict, and attacked civilians in retaliation. Their needs, losses, and circumstances do not fit comfortably into the binary script that has structured most discourse, advocacy, and scholarship on the conflict and the subsequent transitional justice process. This thesis thus examines to what extent transitional justice has advanced the rights of the Muslim minority in Sri Lanka, and the contextual circumstances influencing their realisation. It does so through an interdisciplinary human rights-based legal method, consisting of a doctrinal review combined with an empirical assessment of practical consequences and observable impacts of the law through a victim-centred minority rights-based approach, thus placing it in its socio-political context.

The thesis demonstrates that the root causes of the conflict and subsequent violence were deep ethno-religious divisions, structural discrimination, and institutional marginalisation of minority groups that originated in colonial times and have been perpetuated by the political elite and Buddhist clergy. The Muslim minority was differently and specifically impacted as both victim and perpetrator of violence and human rights violations throughout the conflict. The transitional justice process in Sri Lanka has been signified by severe delays due to lack of political will as well as a consistent lack of victim-centredness and Muslim minority perspective, consideration, and inclusion. International interventions made some progress towards fulfilling the criteria of a victim-centred minority rights-based approach, especially through the Special Rapporteur for minority issues, but this effort has weakened in recent years. Since the end of the conflict, the Muslim minority group has been increasingly marginalised and targeted by politicians and the Sri Lankan society. Continuous human rights violations have led to their ostracism and demonisation. This regression in the protection and enjoyment of their rights led to the overall conclusion that the transitional justice process in Sri Lanka has been unable to advance Muslim’s minority rights. Recommendations for measures to achieve a victim-centred minority rights-based transitional justice process for the advancement of the Muslims’ minority rights are presented.}},
  author       = {{Eklund, Emmie}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Transitional (In)Justice: The Marginalisation of Sri Lanka’s Muslim Minority}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}