Democracy is violated in Sri Lanka with political protection from the government, having more than one incidence of attacking and shooting on peaceful rallies and protests which always leads to the death and injury of protesters. The effort of the reactionary forces in Sri Lanka to terrorize the popular movement and the youth is more than obvious. It is their political need in terms of realization of their reactionary plans. (more…)

As it is mentioned in the declarations of the 18th Assembly of WFDY, the reactionary governments all around the world want the cost of the capitalist crisis to be paid by the peoples and not by the capitalists. Once again our analysis was reaffirmed. As it is the time of the year that the states budget in most countries is presented, more and more reactionary measures are implemented.

This is also the case in Sri lanka where the government presented its budget on the 21st of November. The anti-popular budget attacks the rights of the youth and the workers and explicitly ignores the major problem of youth unemployment.

The popular strata in Sri Lanka and our comrades of Socialist Youth Union of Sri Lanka are fighting against these policies. SYU launched several demonstrations. One of their recent marches to the Ministry of Finance of Sri Lanka was brutally attacked by the police. Due to the attacks more than 15 young people are badly injured and hundreds got minor injuries. However the protest was very successful in terms of participation and of the political outcome. Now the government continues repressing the popular movement by arresting members of SYU.

This is another example of how imperialism reacts to the struggle of the popular movements not only in Sri Lanka but through out the world. They will do everything to secure the profits of the monopolies. They will generate even more repression every time they fill threatened.

We stand with solidarity to our comrades of SYU and to the struggle of the popular movement in Sri Lanka. Taking this opportunity we would like to salute the rallies, the demonstrations, the strikes and the struggle of the workers and the youth for their rights, that takes place all over the world. In different places across the world the anti-imperialist forces are giving their fights against our enemy, imperialism. With our struggle for social rights we prove that the road of the youth is the same as it is of the workers and the peoples. No matter of the repression we will continue fighting to overthrow imperialism.

The World Federation of Democratic Youth is deeply concerned about the detention and suppression going on in Sri Lanka against the student leaders of Universities.
It is noteworthy that the leaders of Inter University Student Union elected from university students of Sri Lanka has been arrested and put twice into detention for 44 days in last three months. In both time he was taken into custody while he was leading peaceful students’ protests against privatization and lack of institutional facilities. Along with Premaratne Mr. Gihan Seneviratne, president of the Visual Art Faculty Students Union of the Visual and Performing Arts University was also arrested in charge of defaming Mahendra Rajapakse as a triumphant monarch after defeating LTTE in last May. Further 14 undergraduate students had been arrested on September 17 with the fake charge of damaging property of a medical college. In addition to that, 13 student leaders of Peradeniya University (the largest university in Sri Lanka) were also imprisoned. Nearly 25 student leaders from different universities have been suspended. The situation is becoming more worsened day by day.
This series suppression against peaceful student movement & decent opinion is sole violation of human right and democratic norms in the country.
The World Federation of Democratic Youth demands to Rajapakse Government to release all the student leaders unconditionally and address their genuine demands related with educational infrastructure and facilities.
We urge all youth and student organizations affiliated with WFDY to support the cause led by our member organizations- the Socialist Student Union and Socialist Youth Union in this very time of student movement.
The WFDY HQ warns against Rajapakse Government to carry more solidarity campaigns in solidarity with Sri-Lankan student if such blatant suppression is not stopped now.