Lucille Abeykoon

Lucille Abeykoon is a Sri Lankan human rights defender, and program coordinator at the Human Rights Office Kandy (HROK), a Catholic-based human rights organisation providing holistic assistance that includes legal, medical, psychological, social and educational assistance to the victims of custodial torture, child abuse, rape, gender based violence, “enforced disappearance”, and human trafficking – and to the families of the victims. HROK is also working in the prisons, rehabilitating the prisoners with “Healing Art Therapy sessions” and empower the families of the prisoners.

Sri Lanka’s civil conflicts were accompanied by gross violations of human rights with an estimated more than 60,000 individuals still “disappeared” with their families left in a limbo of not knowing whether loved ones are alive or dead, of not being able to mourn. Custodial torture has continued with impunity and poverty and lack of hope has contributed to human trafficking.

At HROK, Lucille is on the frontline of these issues. Her duties include assisting the victims find legal representation, accompanying them in court, assisting them with medical care, hospital visits and arranging psychological support etc. HROK provides a critical service to victims, offering day to day advocacy for their rights, while also seeking change and accountability. Lucille is also involved in organised legal clinics, human rights educational programmes, media conferences and protests.

Lucille participated in DTP’s program in Timor-Leste, the home of DTP’s founder, José Ramos-Horta, who taught on the program. When asked about the impact of the training she said:

“DTP’s training was a transformative experience for me.”

She went on to explain why she has such a high opinion of DTP’s training in Timor-Leste.

“I benefitted immensely from the DTP training as it enhanced my knowledge and experience about using diplomacy in human rights advocacy and use of the UN mechanisms. Diplomacy and negotiation skills are crucial for my role here in Sri Lanka as I navigate through Sri Lanka’s complex judiciary and bureaucratic system.”

In addition, Lucille says the sessions on video making and photography provided her with effective tools to document human rights violations.

For Lucille, the location of Timor-Leste was also very important – and she was particularly keen to learn from the practical work of DTP’s partner, the Justice System Monitoring Project (JSMP). With JSMP’s support Lucille was able to glean valuable insights into Timorese experiences in effective court monitoring, reconciliation processes and victims support mechanisms. Lucille says the slow pace of Sri Lanka’s judicial system contributes into humiliation and re-traumatisation of victims during trials

“I was amazed to see that in Timor-Leste most court cases are resolved within two years which sharply contrasts with the protracted legal processes in Sri Lanka. I received a lot of valuable insights into efficient handling of court cases and I advocate for that in my work in Sri Lanka.”

Lucille’s journey into human rights work began after secondary school when she joined a small human rights unit run by her parish priest, the present Director of the Human Rights Office. Inspired by the work done by him she decided to continue her journey with the Human Rights Office. That experience opened her eyes from a very young age to the plight of torture victims and rape survivors. Her firsthand experiences with victims ignited a profound passion in Lucille for human rights advocacy. Her work is driven by a deep empathy for victims and their relentless search for justice. Lucille says she finds inspiration in the immense courage of the victims she supports.

International efforts continue to support the work of courageous individuals like Lucille and their organisations, to ensure the accountability of perpetrators and justice for the victims, and to build a future free of conflict.