The civil society group led by former Governor Maithri Gunaratne has withdrawn from the protest against the 22nd Amendment planned for Thursday, one day before it was due to be held.
The Free Action Centre for the Protection of Democracy said in a statement that it was pulling out of the joint programme organised for September 24 by a group that includes the Opposition Leader, NewsFirst reported.
What the statement says — and what it does not
The Centre said it has stood consistently for democracy, the rule of law, judicial independence and the protection of citizens’ fundamental rights since its inception, and that September 24 had been set aside to organise a joint public protest open to all citizens who value democracy.
Its stated aim, the statement said, was to build a broad, peaceful and powerful public movement against threats to democratic rights and institutional independence, “transcending the narrow political interests of any particular party or group.”
The reason given for the withdrawal is where the statement turns vague. It says that “various opinions, statements and actions that subsequently emerged” in relation to the planned event had created challenges to going forward with the broad, unified campaign originally envisaged, and that the Centre was therefore withdrawing its official participation.
The statement does not say what those opinions, statements or actions were, who made them, or when. It names no party and no individual. The phrase “transcending the narrow political interests of any particular party or group” is the closest it comes to indicating the nature of the disagreement, and it stops short of an accusation.
NewsFirst’s report does not say whether the protest will go ahead without the Centre, nor does it carry a response from the organisers.
The protest it is leaving
The September 24 demonstration was announced by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on September 13 and is to be held at Polduwa Junction, outside Parliament. The date was not chosen freely: it is the opening day of the two-day parliamentary debate on the 22nd Amendment and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill, fixed for September 24 and 25.
Parliament is expected to vote on the amendment on Friday. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka asked every party on Tuesday to let its MPs vote according to conscience, noting that the Supreme Court determined only how the amendment may lawfully be enacted, not whether it should be.
The amendment’s provisions include raising the retirement age of Supreme Court judges to 67. It drew a record 67 petitions before the Supreme Court, which determined it needs no referendum — a two-thirds parliamentary majority suffices. The government holds 159 seats.
A note on the group’s name
NewsFirst renders the organisation as the “Free Action Center For The Protection of Democracy”. The statement’s own trilingual letterhead, dated 2026.09.23, gives the English name as the Free Action Centre for the Protection of Democracy, which is the form used here.
Gunaratne, a President’s Counsel and former Governor, has been among the civil society figures campaigning against the amendment. His group is one component of a coalition rather than its organiser, and its departure does not by itself cancel Thursday’s protest.
