Foreign Affairs Minister Tilak Marapana guaranteed to the United Nations that the rule of law and democracy are being upheld and the rights of freedom of assembly and of association of the people have not been restricted. The Minister made this statement on Thursday (18) during discussions held with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of freedom of association and peaceful assembly, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule. The Special Rapporteur and team also attended a stakeholders meeting of relevant Government officials, chaired by Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha. Representatives of Government agencies including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Sri Lanka Police, Hon. Attorney General’s Department, Department of Labour, Ministry of National Integration, Official Languages, Social Progress and Hindu Religious Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Board of Investment (BOI) and information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) participated in the meeting. The Foreign Secretary underlined that Sri Lanka has continued its engagement with the UN and international community even throughout testing times. He also noted the importance of the Special Rapporteur engaging with all the relevant stakeholders, which would enable him to gain a balanced perspective on both the measures in place and challenges faced with regard to the rights of freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.