The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) has written to the Sri Lankan government to voice its concerns about the erosion of judicial independence in the country.

IBAHRI expressed particular concern about constitutional amendments limiting the chief justice’s term of office to five years, and giving the president authority to appoint the secretary to the Judicial Services Commission (JSC).

IBAHRI co-chair Sternford Moyo wrote: ‘We believe that it is by providing Sri Lanka’s judges with a permanent or long-term mandate that their independence will be maximised, as will public confidence in the judiciary.’

Moyo added that the president’s power to appoint the secretary to the JSC ‘will make it vulnerable to political influence, perceived or otherwise’.

The letter will increase pressure on the Sri Lankan government, which was the target of protests during the England versus Sri Lanka cricket test match at Lords (pictured).

London’s Tamil community has called on the English Cricket Board to refuse to play against the visitors until an independent investigation has been launched into allegations of war crimes committed by the government at the end of civil war in 2009.

The UN estimates that 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed.