International human and civil rights groups on Sept. 15 urged the UN Human Rights Council to maintain its oversight of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. The appeal comes ahead of the council's 60th session, where member states' compliance with international human rights treaties is reviewed annually.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Commission of Jurists and the Asian Forum for Human Rights & Development called for the renewal of the Sri Lanka Accountability Project, led by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). In their statement, the rights groups accused Sri Lanka's new government of lacking the political will to establish an independent prosecutorial mechanism to ensure accountability for human rights violations and international crimes. The reported failures span across victim and witness protection, reconciliation for the Tamil community, and the repeal of counterterrorism laws.

This is not the first time the country has faced criticism for harassing independent journalists and victims. In August of this year, the Committee to Protect Journalists urged the Sri Lankan government to halt its harassment against photojournalist Kanapathipillai Kumanan for his work in revealing the Chemmani mass grave excavations. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk also concluded that the country has failed to effectively investigate custodial deaths, arbitrary arrests during drug raids, surveillance of human rights defenders, and enforced disappearances.

The groups also shed light on the government’s lack of effort in achieving the long-awaited reconciliation with the country’s minority communities. During the three-decade-long internal armed conflict between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Tamil civilians suffered human rights violations perpetrated by both sides, according to the UK non-governmental organization Minority Rights Group. Alas, oppression against the Tamil community remains an ongoing concern, with the International Truth and Justice Project revealing in May 2024 that the country’s security forces continue to abduct and torture Tamil civilians. Human Rights Watch has likewise called for international scrutiny, citing repression against Hindus, Muslims, and other religious minorities.

Finally, the coalition of rights groups urged the UN Human Rights Council to press Sri Lanka’s government to repeal its Prevention of Terrorism Act. Amnesty International has described the act as "draconian," while the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, an independent think tank, has similarly called for the adoption of a "holistic transitional justice" approachthat would replace the act and allow for independent review, trust-building initiatives, due process, and effective remedies.

In March 2021, the council mandated the OHCHR to monitor human rights violations in Sri Lanka, with the mandate subsequently renewed in October 2022 and October 2024. Türk prepared the report to fulfil this mandate, which will expire if the council chooses not to renew it in its 60th session.

From JURIST, Sept. 17. Uesed with permission.