SLB Update: UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances- Summary of Recommendations to the Government of Sri Lanka, 03 October 2025

Recommendations to the Sri Lanka Government – Summary

1. Inclusive Participation

1. • Ensure civil society actors, especially victims and related organisations, are involved in all stages of reporting and implementation of the Convention.
2. Legal Prohibition
   • Incorporate the absolute prohibition of enforced disappearance into domestic law and the Constitution, ensuring no exceptional circumstances justify it.
3. Comprehensive Register
   • Speed up creation of a complete register of all disappearance cases, including detailed data and disaggregated statistics, accessible to those with legitimate interest.
4. Criminalisation and Penalties
   • Recognise enforced disappearance as a crime against humanity under certain conditions.
   • Ensure appropriate penalties reflecting the seriousness of the crime.
   • Establish long-duration statutes of limitations starting when the crime ceases.
5. Jurisdiction and Judicial Independence
   • Apply national courts’ jurisdiction over enforced disappearance cases.
   • Guarantee independence and impartiality of the judiciary and prosecution.
6. Independent Public Prosecutor
   • Expedite the establishment of an independent Public Prosecutor’s Office and prosecute alleged perpetrators.
7. Prevent Interference
   • Eliminate political/military interference in investigations.
   • Remove and avoid appointing alleged perpetrators to high-level positions.
8. Office on Missing Persons (OMP)
   • Ensure transparent, independent selection of OMP members with diversity.
   • Strengthen OMP units and regional offices with adequate resources.
   • Develop a strategy and action plan for all registered cases.
   • Publish findings regularly in all languages.
9. Victim Engagement and Awareness
   • Conduct awareness campaigns on reporting procedures and certificates of absence.
   • Guarantee relatives’ participation and regular updates on investigations.
10. Coordination Among Authorities
    • Ensure effective coordination between OMP, Police CID, Attorney General, and courts with adequate resources.
11. Combat Impunity
    • Investigate all cases linked to armed conflict and prosecute perpetrators.
    • Include war crimes and crimes against humanity in legislation; consider joining the ICC Rome Statute.
12. Access to Archives and International Cooperation
    • Provide access to military and law enforcement archives.
    • Strengthen cooperation with international bodies, including OHCHR.
13. Roadmap for Truth and Justice
    • Develop a time-bound plan for accountability and transitional justice.
    • Implement confidence-building measures, including reducing military presence in conflict areas.
14. Suspension of Suspects
    • Suspend officials suspected of involvement during investigations to prevent influence.
15. Protection Against Reprisals
    • Protect complainants, witnesses, relatives, and investigators from intimidation.
    • Implement coordination among victim protection bodies with adequate resources.
16. Legislative Reform
    • Repeal Prevention of Terrorism Act; ensure new law meets international standards.
    • Review habeas corpus procedure for effectiveness.
17. Victim Compensation and Support
    • Establish a new compensation system beyond one-time grants.
    • Provide psychosocial and psychological support with qualified professionals.
18. Institutional Coordination
    • Ensure coordination between OMP, Office for Reparations, and Office for National Unity and Reconciliation.
19. Memory Preservation
    • Create a sustainable programme for preserving memory in consultation with victims.
20. Certificates of Absence and Death
    • Clarify issuance and renewal processes; ensure death certificates are only issued with certainty.
    • Investigate and punish coercion to accept death certificates.
    • Ensure reparations are not conditional on accepting certificates.

1. Mass Graves and Forensic Capacity
   • Strengthen OMP’s ability to identify and exhume mass graves.
   • Develop a national strategy for the search, identification, and investigation of burial sites.
   • Enhance forensic capacity with protocols, equipment, and international cooperation.
   • Create centralised ante-mortem/post-mortem and genetic databases.
   • Keep families informed of exhumation progress and results.

This is an edited summary. For the full report, please visit  https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/sri-lanka