An aspiring Sri Lankan politician, who was sidelined due to her gender, has been granted refugee status in New Zealand after facing threats, harassment, and an attempted extortion scheme, a tribunal has heard.
The 32-year-old woman reported that her political career was sabotaged by a prominent MP and his associates, who suggested she should engage in a sexual relationship with him to advance in politics. After a friend posted about the incident on social media, the MP allegedly developed a grudge against her.
The politician, who unsuccessfully contested the 2020 Sri Lankan presidential elections, endured severe intimidation. Following the death of her brother-in-law in a motorcycle crash, a threatening note was found on his coffin at the funeral, warning that she would be the next to be killed.
She later received two threatening phone calls and was nearly run over by a speeding motorcycle.
The immigration and protection tribunal heard that in 2018, on the eve of regional elections, a group of armed men fired gunshots and surrounded her house, demanding that she leave politics.
Reports presented to the tribunal indicated that the harassment of women in Sri Lankan politics was worsening.
“The appellant has told the tribunal that she would not dare to become involved in politics again in Sri Lanka for fear of her life. She states that entering politics was ‘the worst decision of my life’ and that she ‘lost herself’ and feels ‘dead inside’,” the tribunal stated.
She further feared that the MP in question would seek revenge if she returned to Sri Lanka, blaming her for damaging his political career.
Adding to her concerns, her parents’ home caught fire in 2022 during a period of unrest, which she suspects may have been orchestrated by the same politician.
A friend who testified before the tribunal summarized the ordeal: “She has been prevented from pursuing a political career due to threats from various individuals in opposing parties and from [the MP], who attempted to force her into a sexual relationship with him. A friend publicly posted about the incident on Facebook, and the post received over a hundred views before being forced to take it down.”
