ABSTRACT
In 2005 the UN special rapporteur on religious freedom or belief, Asma Jahangir, visited Sri Lanka to inquire about the recent conflict around ‘unethical’ conversions and violence against Christians. On her fact-finding mission she stated that the documentation provided by Buddhists on conversions was “vaguely described and unclear with regards to circumstances”, while the reports on violence against Christians were “very well documented and precise to the factual circumstances”. Based on extensive fieldwork in Sri Lanka during 2011–2013, this chapter aims to unravel the dynamics between local and national monitoring efforts in relation to the international scene. It will highlight the importance of various reports and fact-finding missions to alleviate documentation into generating political facts critical to decision-makers in the realm of religious freedom.
