International human and civil rights groups on Sept. 15 urged [8] the UN Human Rights Council to maintain its oversight of the situation in Sri Lanka. The appeal comes ahead of the Council's 60th session [9], where member states' compliance with international human rights treaties is to be reviewed.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists and the Asian Forum for Human Rights & Development called for the renewal of the Sri Lanka Accountability Project [10], led by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). In their statement, the 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 such questions as victim and witness protection, reconciliation between the Tamil and Sinhalese communities, and the repeal of counter-terrorism laws.
The country continues to face a ltany of criticisms from rights observoes. In August, the Committee to Protect Journalists urged [12] the Sri Lankan government to halt its harassment campaign against photojournalist Kanapathipillai Kumanan [13], apparently for his work in revealing the Chemmani [14] mass grave discovery. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk concluded [15] that the country has failed to effectively investigate [16] custodial deaths, arbitrary arrests during drug raids, improper surveillance of human rights defenders, and enforced disappearances [17].
The rights groups also shed light on the government's lack of effort in achieving the long-awaited reconciliation [18] with the country's minority communities. During the three-decade-long internal armed conflict [19] between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Tamil civilians suffered human rights violations perpetrated [20] by both sides, according to the UK non-governmental organization Minority Rights Group [21]. Alas, oppression against the Tamil community remains an ongoing concern, with the International Truth and Justice Project revealing [22] in May 2024 that the country’s security forces continue to abduct and torture Tamil civilians. Human Rights Watch has likewise called [23] 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 [24]. Amnesty International has described the act as "draconian," while the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism [25], an independent think tank, has called for the adoption of a "holistic transitional justice [26]" approach that would replace the act and allow for independent review, trust-building initiatives, due process, and effective remedies.
In March 2021, the Council mandated [27] the OHCHR to monitor human rights violations in Sri Lanka, with the mandate subsequently renewed in October 2022 [28] and October 2024 [29]. Türk prepared the High Commissioner's report to extend this mandate, which will expire if the council chooses not to renew it in its 60th session.
From JURIST [30], Sept. 17. Uesed with permission.
