{
  "id": 1381576,
  "title": "Walls of Secrecy",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/walls-of-secrecy",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T00:00:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Island Sri Lanka",
    "slug": "the-island-sri-lanka",
    "url": "http://island.lk/walls-of-secrecy-2/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The 22nd Amendment to Sri Lanka's Constitution (22A) is set to be introduced in Parliament, amid calls for transparency and accountability. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is under pressure to release an unedited video of a meeting with the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) delegation, where BASL President Rajeev Amarasuriya's presentation has been made public. However, the JVP-NPP government has been secretive, even refusing to acknowledge a letter from the Mahanayake Theras of the three Nikayas urging him to reconsider raising the retirement ages of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges. The government's secretive behavior has raised concerns about judicial independence and the amendment's true intentions, with international bodies criticizing the move.",
  "summary": "Monday 17th August, 2026 The Bill of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution (22A) is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament tomorrow. The government is under pressure to release an unedited video recording of the proceedings of last week’s meeting between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and a delegation from the Bar Association of Sri Lanka […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}