Precis

For Sri Lanka’s protest movement, it felt like victory. After months of escalating actions, protestors stormed the Presidential palace and occupied its grounds. Some even partied in the pool and stretched out in the president’s four-poster bed.

That evening, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and later resigned.

25-year-old IT technician, Wimukthi Ranasinghe, was one of the protestors caught up in the day’s excitement. He livestreamed from inside the palace, picking up millions of followers worldwide.

Today, Wimukthi is on bail, facing charges of inciting violence that could land him in jail.

"I’m worried about what’ll happen to him in the future," says his mother. "When we hear all these horror stories about what’s happening to people, we’ve told him he can’t even go to the local shop now on his own."

Many protestors are now living in fear.

Under the new president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, there’s been a crackdown on protest action. Some of the movement’s leaders have gone into hiding. Others have been charged and detained under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act.

For months, South Asia correspondent Avani Dias, has been charting the unrest in Sri Lanka.  Now, she’s captured the crackdown in full swing.

She meets leaders in hiding from police, following them as they re-emerge and take the risk of organising fresh protests.

One is the defiant student leader, Wasantha Mudalige, who plays cat-and-mouse with the police.

"The person who has claimed the throne does not have the mandate of the people," he claims. "The police are doing this because they’re scared."

Dias spends time with families grappling with how to protect their children caught up in the crackdown.

As tensions in Colombo rise and the police presence grows, Dias interviews the new president, Wickremesinghe.

"We arrest people who broke the law," says the 45-year-veteran politician and former lawyer. "Everything has been done legally."

The next day Dias and her crew are stopped and searched twice by authorities, on the hunt for protest leaders like Wasantha.

As major protests unfold, Dias captures incredible scenes as police and protestors clash.

No Surrender takes viewers inside the movement that brought down one president and isn’t stopping now.

Sri Lanka protests

00:10

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: The streets of Sri Lanka have been filled with protest as an economic crisis grips the country. In July, Sri Lankans stormed the President’s Palace forcing him from power.

00:14

Protestors in President's pool

NUWAN: For the first time of the history,

00:28

Nuwan interview

people's power came up to change the system.

00:30

Dias to camera at protest

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Protestors are calling for the president, Rajapaksa, to stand aside.

00:36

Protests

I’ve been covering the unrest in Sri Lanka all year: protesters were feeling triumphant. But there’s a new leader running things now, and protestors are under fire.

00:38

AMBIKA: Politicians think that they are demigods.

00:51

Ambika interview

So, if you hold them accountable and if you ask them questions, the reaction is how dare they?

00:53

Jeewantha interview

JEEWANTHA: We are being hunted! We are being hunted and our elderly parents and families are intimidated.

01:00

Interview with President

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Protest leaders are in hiding, and the new president is accused of ruling with fear.

01:05

"Do you think that arresting people and cracking down is going to fix the crisis?"

WICKREMESINGHE: We arrest people who broke the law.

01:12

Dias to camera at protest

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: The march is just behind me and right over here is a wall of police.

01:18

Police at protest

Pressure is intensifying. But the problems that triggered this uprising haven’t gone away. All of the students have now sat down in the middle of the road and…they’re tear-gassing now!

01:25

WASANTHA: If he wants to play around with us, we’re ready to play!

01:40

Title: No Surrender

Music

01:49

Super: Colombo, Sri Lanka

01:56

Dias at safe house with Wasantha. Super: Avani Dias, Reporter

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: It’s early morning in Colombo and I’ve come to a safehouse to meet with one of the leaders of this protest movement, student organiser Wasantha Mudalige.

02:09

After building trust for weeks, these protestors have allowed us to film them in hiding. They say their homes aren’t safe anymore and they could be arrested at any moment.

02:22

WASANTHA: Our homes have been visited.

02:37

Wasantha interview

Police have questioned and threatened our parents and demanded they tell their children not to protest. They’ve stationed police and military at the gates of universities to seek information about the whereabouts of the student leaders. They abducted a student in a white van, took him to a deserted street and interrogated him about our plans.

02:39

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Wasantha convenes a national student union. They’re one of many groups who’ve joined this protest movement that Sri Lankans call the Struggle. Protestors want systemic change. They say the office of the president holds too much power, that it’s created a culture of corruption and mismanagement.

03:12

WASANTHA: Our constitution is like a dictatorship that doesn’t represent the citizens' rights. We need a system where the people can be part of governance. The struggle isn’t over. Even if we’re arrested, other will take it forward. They can arrest us, but they can’t stop us.

03:35

Wasantha addresses protestors

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: This was Wasantha earlier this year.

03:59

WASANTHA: "They’ve imposed a curfew on Colombo! We’re asking you to shove your curfew up your arse and feed it to the dogs!"

04:02

Protestors

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: From March, there were daily protests demanding president Gotabaya Rajapaksa step down. Protesters accused him and his brother, the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, of bankrupting the country, leading to an economic crisis that stripped people of fuel, food, and power.

04:18

PROTESTOR: No education, no food. Economy is at a standstill.

04:41

PROTESTOR 2: People are living with one meal a day. Can you imagine? Can you imagine?

04:45

Protestors gather in park, burning of vehicles

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: In April, people started occupying a park called Galle Face Green and it grew into a thriving protest village. But things suddenly turned violent when armed Rajapaksa supporters launched an unprovoked attack. Some protestors retaliated, burning vehicles and politicians’ homes.

04:54

Storming of President's Palace

July 9th was the date that tipped the scales, when Sri Lankans stormed government buildings like the president’s palace.

05:17

Protestors in pool

You probably saw the videos of people swimming in his pool. It forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign,

05:26

Ranil Wickremesinghe signing documents, being sworn in

making way for veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe. Just hours after he took his oath, the new president sent in troops to disperse the protestors by force.

05:35

Galle Face protest camp

Now, it’s August, and this is what’s left. Police are enforcing a court order to remove all final remnants of the Galle Face protest camp.

05:52

JEEWANTHA: This protest brought all the different communities together. The first time ever in history of Sri Lanka, there are Muslims, Buddhist, Christians, Hindus, even LGBTQ community is part of the protest moment, which is a drastic change in Sri Lanka. This is a peaceful protest, democratic expression, asking for a change, a just change in the society of Sri Lanka.

06:06

Jeewantha interview

Now what they are doing is terribly curtailing our freedom of gathering, freedom of expression, and we are being hunted. We are being hunted.

06:35

Jeewantha addresses protestors

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Catholic priest Jeewantha Peiris was one of the icons of this uprising.

06:47

Jeewantha into car at night

Now, he’s moving between churches in the dead of night, hiding from police. Under emergency regulations introduced by President Wickremesinghe, suspects can be detained without a warrant and held for 72 hours before being produced to court.

06:54

JEEWANTHA: I heard that they're going to raid the place where I was in Colombo. And then I heard that they have gone to my parents' house. My elderly parents were questioned continuously, several days. And we knew that they're really looking for me and the other coordinators of the protest movement. Even the youth who were just

07:14

Protestor's at President's palace

went in the president's house and other places on 9th of July, they are being arrested.

07:38

Wimukthi at protest

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: 25-year-old Wimukthi Ranasinghe went to the protests on July 9^th when thousands of Sri Lankans occupied government buildings. His mum Manel told him not to go.

07:49

MUM: I said to him, ‘We can’t fix the country’. He said, ‘Mum, please be quiet. So many people have taken to the streets. We can’t just hide like cowards. Aren’t you embarrassed?’

08:02

Mum interview

And he left. We couldn’t do anything to stop him.

08:15

Wimukthi at protest

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: His brother Prashakti was also worried.

08:18

PRASHAKTI: He just wanted to have a better Sri Lanka and he was like I need to go to this. And I'm like

08:24

Prashakti interview

just be careful. And on that day, I think he met some friends, and he got that protesting thing in his mind. And since then he was going to the big ones, like the main ones.

08:29

Wimukthi livestreaming from protest

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Like many others, Wimukthi livestreamed his movements that day, and people all over the world tuned in.

08:41

As he continued to join the protests and post videos, he picked up over 4 million Facebook followers.

08:51

WIMUKTHI: We’re near the President’s house. There’s a huge force waiting to beat us. Anybody who can come, please come.

08:59

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: He also caught the attention of police.

PRASHAKTI: I heard my dog barking and I'm like, who's there?

09:13

Prashakti interview

And then there was police, like six of them, were downstairs. They went to his room and took his PC. And they took my brother's phones. He had two phones. And when my mum came back in the evening and she was like, your brother is now in the prison.

09:20

It just felt like a dream or I must be dreaming. I might wake up sometime. Felt like that, because sometimes dreams feel real and stuff. Yeah.

09:38

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Wimukthi has been charged with threatening members of parliament,

09:50

Wimukthi video live stream

based on this video.

WIMUKTHI: If something happens to us here, surround the homes of party members. If they beat us, why can’t we beat them?

09:58

Interior, Wimukthi's home. Mum prays

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: He’s been in custody for over a week. His parents both work overseas to pay for his younger brother’s education. His mum is meant to be in Russia now, but Wimukthi being in trouble has put everything on hold.

10:07

MUM: It’s difficult to live in Sri Lanka now. Even harder if you have lots of kids. My son talked about this stuff. If he was buying 10 kilos of rice but someone else could only buy one kilo, he’d feel sad.

10:23

Prashakti drawing

PRASHAKTI: I have like this like little hope that every day, oh, he gonna get released someday and we are gonna go back to what it used to be,

10:42

Prashakti interview

like when he's at home. Now it's like dead silent. But when he's at home, we just gonna watch some memes, funny videos, movies together. It's just not there anymore. So yeah, it just feels so empty and like lonely.

10:53

Wimukthi phone footage

NUWAN: I don't think that they are targeting only Wimukthi. Most of the youth now are using social media

11:06

Nuwan interview

to express their ideas, so these police want to just mentally, it's just like a psychological threat to others not to share these posts and create a fear among the suspects and public.

11:17

Nuwan arrives at court

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Attorney Nuwan Bopage is representing Wimukthi and other protestors, including student leader Wasantha Mudalige and priest Jeewantha Peiris. He’s assembled a team of lawyers around the country to work for free for the movement. His activism has put him in the firing line as well.

11:30

Nuwan shows video of protest on his phone

This is Nuwan on July 22^nd when troops were mobilised to clear the Galle Face protest camp.

NUWAN: They wanted to take into custody

11:52

Nuwan interview

one very disabled person. Then, actually I defend him and I showed my identity card. Then I told them, I'm a lawyer. Don't assault him. Don't take him to custody, but that army troops dragged me into their side and they assaulted me and handed over to the police.

12:07

Nuwan at protest

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Nuwan has been charged with unlawful assembly and is on bail awaiting trial.

12:26

Nuwan in office

He’s also fighting a complaint by the Inspector General of Police seeking to have him struck from the legal profession.

"How do you feel about that? That they're targeting you like this?"

NUWAN: I think it's absurd because as a lawyer I have a right to defend my clients. At the same time,

12:31

Nuwan interview

to be a lawyer, I need a country first. Without a country, I can't do whatever profession. So therefore, to protect the country, we have to protect these protesters, who actually fought for the sake of the society, not because of their own betterment.

12:49

Dias walks to safe house with protestors

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: I’ve been invited to a secret location along with a few local journalists. Many of these protestors – nurses, monks, teachers – have been hiding for weeks, but they’re risking it all to announce the next stage of their struggle. For Wasantha Mudalige, it’s a chance to throw out a challenge. His student union has decided to get back on the streets in their first major protest since the closing of the Galle Face camp.

13:09

Wasantha press conference

WASANTHA: We have so many unresolved problems. The education system is broken. Parents struggle to feed their families one meal a day. The country is in crisis. For the first time in our history, the people brought the government to its knees. We have that power, and this struggle isn’t over. We won’t give up until we win.

13:41

Music

14:05

Mum travels to bail hearing

MUM: He's never been rebellious or mistreated others, or been in trouble with the police.

14:16

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: It’s the day of Wimukthi’s bail hearing and his mum and grandma are on their way to court. He’s been in custody for 10 days and they’re worried about his mental health.

14:24

MUM: We’ve done everything we can. We hired lawyers, we went to see him. Now we just need to get him out.

14:38

Jeewantha Peiris arrives at court

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Across town at another court, Father Jeewantha Peiris has also been ordered to appear. Nuns and priests have turned out in force to support him. After more than two weeks in hiding, Father Peiris has decided to hand himself in, and face charges of unlawful assembly and entering the President’s palace.

14:48

JEEWANTHA: I'm prepared for this mentally and spiritually because I knew right from the beginning with this protest movement that we’ll have to face the consequences.

15:15

Wimukthi arrives for bail hearing

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Back at the Magistrate’s Court, we wait for Wimukthi to show. After an hour or so, a busload of defendants arrives. Among them are several protestors. Finally, we see Wimukthi, wearing a black facemask. It’s hard to follow from outside, but we see he’s been moved to a holding cell.

15:26

Nuwan arrives at court

Nuwan arrives with one of his solicitors. He and his colleagues are appearing for protestors at courts across Colombo today. After a hearing that took several hours, Father Peiris is granted bail.

15:50

Jeewantha outside court

JEEWANTHA: This struggle doesn’t belong to me. It’s a citizens’ struggle and a struggle of the oppressed people of this country. This struggle isn’t over. We’re moving forward peacefully.

16:08

Wimukthi’s mum arrives at court to post bail

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Wimukthi’s mum is back at court, after just scraping enough cash together to post bail for her son. Moments later, they come out together.

16:19

MUM: We got him bail with great difficulty but I’m just so relieved.

16:32

Mum interview

He didn’t think ahead when he was doing those things at the protest.

16:38

Wimukthi interview

WIMUKTHI: We protested for the country. Regardless of our politics, we came together for this struggle. This country is beautiful. It’s the most beautiful country in the world. But the way this country is ruled is not beautiful. The law only serves a select few. I’m sad for the country and don’t know what to do in the future.

16:43

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Wimukthi’s next court date is more than two months away and his case could take years to finalise.

17:19

Wimukthi outside court

AMBIKA: The criminal justice system here is very slow. So, the process becomes the punishment.

17:26

Ambika on phone in library

"Oh come on! Come on!"

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Amibka Satkunanathan is the former Commissioner for Human Rights in Sri Lanka.

AMBIKA: "The lawyers need to basically scream and shout."

This is not justice.

17:32

Ambika interview

This is reprisals for protest to teach them a lesson and to ensure that others don't protest.

17:45

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Can you tell us what's changed since this new president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, took over?

AMBIKA: I would say he's different to the Rajapaksas in that, you know, the Rajapaksas tend to be brutal.

17:51

The regime can be very brutal, ruthless. Ranil Wickremesinghe is also a very intelligent man. He will use the law to crush dissent, to restrict rights. The government is making the law a joke. The prosecution has become persecution.

18:04

Dias greets president

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: "Hello President, how are you. Nice to see you again."

Ranil Wickremesinghe has been in politics for 45 years and been Prime Minister six times, though he’s never finished a term. The former lawyer has sold himself as a champion of democracy and the answer to Sri Lanka’s current crisis.

18:27

Wickremesinghe interview

President, since you came to power, authorities have been targeting the protesters. There have been many, many arrests. Is that actually going to fix Sri Lanka's crisis that you're facing at the moment?

18:49

WICKREMESINGHE: I don't think going and burning government houses will fix the crisis. We have to all realise that. Do you think occupying the president's house or burning my house, occupying the prime minister's house or coming to occupy the parliament, do you think any of them would've solved our problems?

19:00

AVANI: Do you think that arresting people and cracking down is going to fix the crisis?

19:18

WICKREMESINGHE: We arrest people who broke the law. I am not the one who does it. It's been left to the police, like in your country, and the police have decided to charge them. Everything has been done legally.

19:22

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Many protestors, like Father Jeewantha, a uni leader called Wasantha, there's a lot of people who are…

WICKREMESINGHE: Those, those are, I know the groups…

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: But I do…

WICKREMESINGHE: …you have spoken to. I know the groups you have spoken to. You’re trying to put the case of these minority to me and I'm answering on behalf of the majority.

19:35

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Do you understand a majority of this country is suffering at the moment and they’re quite angry about this situation?

WICKREMESINGHE: I understand the majority of the country is suffering and they want a solution. They were not out there.

19:53

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Do you have the majority backing, though? That's the question.

WICKREMESINGHE: I have the majority backing…

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Of your country?

WICKREMESINGHE: In the country, yes.

20:02

I am the one who said the correct thing - go to the IMF. That's why there's confidence backing me. That's why there's confidence in me, that I can deliver.

20:08

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: It’s true, Wickremesinghe has made progress on a ‘bailout’ with the International Monetary Fund or IMF. That bailout comes with a raft of conditions. Meeting them will probably mean job cuts and tax hikes, and it could push people back onto the streets.

20:18

Driving to protest, stopped by police

It’s the day of the protest organised by the student union. We’re on our way there when we’re pulled over by police.

20:44

POLICE OFFICER: Who’s inside, madam?

FIXER: There’s a crew inside.

POLICE OFFICER: A crew?

FIXER: Two cameramen and a correspondent.

21:00

Dias to camera in car

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: We’ve just been pulled over for a second time by Sri Lankan police. They’re searching our vehicle. They said they’ve got information on our car specifically. They think we’re concealing someone in this car. Feels like a lot of pressure today, especially considering that yesterday when I interviewed the president, he said he knew exactly who we’ve been speaking to this whole time.

21:08

Back on road to protest

Music

21:33

Police presence as protestors gather

AVANI DIAS, Reporter:  Police are out in force as people gather for the march, but student leader Wasantha is nowhere to be seen. There have been busloads and busloads of people arriving here. The crowd is really gathering and they’re going to march through the centre of Colombo soon. It’s the first major protest since the Galle Face camp was shut down. Nobody knows how police will respond.

21:43

March commences

In the oppressive heat of midday, the march gets moving, with chants and banners calling for Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down. About half an hour into the protest, Wasantha suddenly appears. You can feel a buzz rip through the crowd.

22:19

Wasantha press conference

WASANTHA: We declare that we are not afraid of you, Ranil Wickremesinghe. If you want to play games, we’re ready to play. Remember what happened to Rajapaksas when they chose to play games. Ranil Wickremesinghe will face the same fate.

22:44

March continues. Police confront protestors

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: The march continues along one of Colombo’s main roads. It’s orderly and contained. Protestors are careful to stay in one lane. But they’re walking straight into confrontation. The march is just behind me

23:00

Dias to camera

and right over here is a wall of police. There are two tear gas vans. And they’re both just stopped. It’s a bit of a stalemate, but they’re going to have to collide at some point. Wasantha, who is on the run from the police, is right at the front here.

23:21

Wasantha talks with protestors

WASANTHA: We mustn’t clash. We could go down a side road. Get behind the banner! Get behind the banner! Pull the banner tight and hold, hold!

23:42

PROTESTORS: We're on the streets! We'll follow our path!

24:06

Police issue warning to protestors

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Police issue a warning to clear the area, threatening to use force. But the frontline protestors aren’t budging.

24:13

Dias to camera. Police use tear gas and water cannons on protestors

All of the students have now sat down in the middle of the road and… They’re tear-gassing now!

24:38

Police move in behind the tear gas and water cannons to drive protesters back, making arrests as they go. Then I get a message from one of my contacts. He says Wasantha got away on a motorbike. But he didn’t get far before being arrested.

24:57

Dias at police station. Greets Nuwan

It’s the morning after the protest and I’ve come to a Colombo police station where some of the protestors are being held, including Wasantha. Lawyer Nuwan Bopage has just been with him.

25:27

NUWAN: Hello. How are you?

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Hi, how are you?

NUWAN: Fine, Avani.

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: So, what's happening in there?

25:41

NUWAN: According to police, they're going to charge him under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. That is one of the draconian laws in the country. They can detain suspect for more than three months without producing to court. That can be extended for two years. It's a grave violation of fundamental rights of Wasantha, because it's very clear there's no terrorist element on his part. So, what is the meaning of this?

25:47

Police bus arrives

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: The Prevention of Terrorism Act has a dark history in Sri Lanka. Human rights advocates say for decades it’s been used to target Tamils and more recently Muslims. This is the first time a student leader has been charged under the act in more than 30 years and it comes with the personal sign-off of President Wickremesinghe.

26:13

Wimukthi at home

WIMUKTHI: When they handcuff you, you have all these feelings. I was mentally beaten. That was my mindset. In jail, I slept on the ground. I didn’t even have a sheet to cover myself. I was really scared. Those ten days felt like ten years.

26:44

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Wimukthi’s back at home, struggling to resettle.

27:17

"Hello! How are you?"

WIMUKTHI: I’m fine.

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: How you feeling being out?

27:24

WIMUKTHI: Coming home was a big change from the bed in jail. I really felt the difference being in my parents’ home.

27:27

Wimukthi and Prashakti

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Have you been hanging out today?

PRASHAKTI: Ah, I just woke up, but…

27:39

Mum serves water

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Are you going to go back to the protests now after everything that’s happened?

WIMUKTHI: I don’t plan to go again just yet. They know me very well now – my face and my ID.

27:48

Mum at table with Wimukthi and Dias

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Are you angry at your son for what he’s done and this situation?

MUM: I was angry when he got arrested, I won’t lie. He disobeyed us. But bit by bit, we realised he did it for the country. We haven't said a word since he returned. My request is for him not do it again.

28:11

Wimukthi and Prashakti

AMBIKA: Dissent has value even if one person is dissenting. The fact that they ignore the protest actually makes the case stronger to show the state is callous.

28:35

Ambika interview

They do not look upon dissent very favourably. And that goes back to the fact that our political culture is driven by patronage. It's feudal. Politicians think that they're demigods. So, if you hold them accountable and if you ask them questions, the reaction is how dare they, you know, your job is to just vote and just move on.

28:51

Dias looking at phone

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: After two weeks on the ground in Sri Lanka, I see a protest movement under siege, but still determined.

JEEWANTHA: People have not given up.

29:20

Jeewantha

They are continuing the protest in their own way.

29:30

Protest

AVANI DIAS, Reporter: Protestors are still taking to the streets, despite the dangers. And people like Nuwan will keep fighting. They say it has to be now or never.

29:34

Nuwan driving

NUWAN: If we are unable to change this system using this struggle, this might be the last opportunity.

29:52

Credits [see below]

30:00

Out point

30:25