UN-Sri Lanka

The Hybrid Court could be constituted following the example of the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) under the Chairmanship of Justice Bhagavathy, former Northern Province Chief Minister and former Supreme Court Judge C.V. Wigneswaran said. “Having already granted nearly four years by Resolutions Numbers 30/1 and 34/1, the granting of a further two […]

Image: Torture by prison officials at Agunakolapalassa prison came in to light through a leaked CCTV footage. (Press release/29 March, 2019)  GENEVA  — The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture is set to carry out its first visit to Sri Lanka from 2 to 12 April to examine the treatment of people deprived of […]

Image: Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative in Geneva Ambassador A.L.A. Azeez . President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday stressed that he would not implement any decisions that would violate the country’s Constitution and independence at the whims and fancies of the international community or any other persons. The President commenting on UN Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet’s proposal to […]

Sri Lanka’s non-compliance later had forced the UN rights body resolutions. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that Sri Lanka preserved its sovereignty by not agreeing to set up an office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the country even as main Tamil party TNA called for allowing foreign judges and prosecutors […]

Human Rights Council Fortieth session 25 February–22 March 2019 Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka Albania,* Australia, Austria, Belgium,* Bulgaria, Canada,* Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland,* France,* Georgia,* Germany,* Greece,* Iceland, Ireland,* Italy, Luxembourg,* Malta,* Montenegro,* Netherlands,* New Zealand,* North Macedonia,* Norway,* Poland,* Romania,* San Marino,* Slovakia, Sri Lanka,* Sweden,* United Kingdom of […]

Image: Sandaya Ekneligoda has been fighting for justice for years , but national institutions has not been able to bring the killers her husband to book. The ratification by consensus of Resolution No 40/1 by the UN Human Rights Council has given Sri Lanka another two years in which to implement the commitments it made […]

Image: File photo of alt-Sinahala nationalist demo against international involvement  in a justice mechanism. (20/03/ 2019 Geneva) The ICJ today called at the UN for prompt establishment of a judicial accountability mechanism with international involvement, for Sri Lanka.The statement, delivered during an interactive dialogue on the OHCHR report on Sri Lanka at the Human Rights […]

Geneva, March 21 (newsin.asia): The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC): on Thursday through consensus passed a resolution giving the government of Sri Lanka two more years to implement the resolution 30/1 of 2015, ie: until March 2021. After the resolution was adopted the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana, said that the passing of the […]

(20 March 2019.)The Human Rights Council this morning held an interactive dialogue on the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka. Interactive Dialogue on Sri Lanka The Council has before it Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka – Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (A/HRC/40/23) Presentation of […]

The UN Resolution 30/1 on Sri-Lanka was adopted by the Council along with the co-spon-sorship of Sri-Lanka to ensure truth, justice, reparation and non-recurrence based on the inter-national human rights law and international humanitarian law. But the Sri-Lankan government has given up these international standards and the objectives of the Resolution 30/1 and uses it […]

Statement issued by former president and leader of the opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa. “The government has announced that they will co-sponsor yet another resolution against Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council. Resolution 30/1, the first such co-sponsored resolution in October 2015 committed the government to among other things, setting up a hybrid war crimes […]

In contrast to Colombo’s largely polarized sound and fury on the Counter-Terror Bill, it is refreshing to look at the manner in which South Africa has dealt with uncannily similar dilemmas of balancing national security imperatives and constitutional rights in bringing its counter-terror law into effect more than a decade ago. Shared legacies of horrific […]

The commitments made by the Government of Sri Lanka four years ago at the UNHRC session in Geneva have had lasting impressions on its citizens. While some perceive the commitments of Resolution 30/1 (Res 30/1) as an international obligation that threatens our sovereignty or a political tool and a box ticking process, others even view […]

By Sanjeewa Wimalagunrathne and Tharaka Hettiarachchi. It has been a decade in to their displacement and hundreds of families are still awaiting the dawn of a new hope—the hope for a new home. On the other side of the coin, returning lands in Sampur under the current regime in 2016 was a great achievement for […]

Image: Thousands of mothers are still waiting for the answers and justice for their disappeared children. (c)s.deshapriya. (GENEVA, March 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ ) The Australian Tamil Congress (ATC), the British Tamils Forum (BTF), the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) and the US Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) today welcomed the UN Office of the High Commissioner’s report to […]

Image: Minister Samaraweera at a side event during  HRC 34, reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to Transitional Justice, including a Justice mechanism. (c)s.deshapriya. On 1st October 2015, Sri Lanka committed to fulfilling a transformative agenda for reconciliation and transitional justice at the UNHRC in Geneva. Resolution 30/1 is a result of the recognition of the nation’s duty […]

Image: UN Rights Commissioner (UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre) The report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights would give an indication of the forthcoming decision of the UN Human Rights Council with regards to its resolution on Sri Lanka. The report is primarily a fact based one. Almost every assertion made is backed by evidence. […]

Conclusions and recommendations. 61. In 2015, by co-sponsoring Human Rights Council resolution 30/1, the Government of Sri Lanka recognized the need to address the past in order to build a brighter future, grounded in accountability, respect for human rights and the rule of law. The lack of decisive steps to that end, and of appropriate […]

(IMADR/ 2019.03.05) On Thursday the 28th of February at the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council, jointly with Amnesty International, FORUM-ASIA, CIVICUS, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Franciscans International, Human Rights Watch, International Commission of Jurists and the International Service for Human Rights, IMADR held a side event titled “Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights […]

Image: Special Rapporteur on countering terrorism  Fionnuala Ní Aoláin. In the context of Sri Lanka, as mandate holder I have continued the engagement opened up by the visit of Mr. Emmerson July 2017. The report affirms the important opportunity available to the government to address long-standing and serious human rights concerns, in respect of fair trial, allegations […]

Image: The UN Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights, Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky in Colombo. Statement by HE Mr. A. L. A. Azeez Ambassador / Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka (28 February 2019,) after the presentation of the Report (A/HRC/40/57/Add.2) on the visit of Independent Expert to Sri Lanka from 3rd to 11th September 2018. Mr. President, […]

27 February 2019 Human Rights Council 40th session: draft resolution Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka The Human Rights Council, PP1 Reaffirming the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, PP2 Guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other relevant instruments, […]

(26 February 2019 / Daily Mirror) Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said he submitted a Cabinet memorandum asking for general amnesty to all those who are accused of war crimes – both from the armed forces and the LTTE. In an interview with Daily Mirror, he said it was inappropriate to single out […]

Image: UNHRC, Geneva. (c) S.Deshapriya. Sri Lanka: Need for time-bound plan for implementation of commitments to the Human Rights Council February 25, 2019 Your Excellency,l We write to seek your support in ensuring that the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC or Council) adopts a resolution at this 40th session to maintain scrutiny of Sri Lanka’s […]

Image: Minister Samaraweera at HRC30 (c) S.Deshapriya. (Text of Speech made by the Minister of Finance and Media, Hon. Mangala Samaraweera during the adjournment debate on the Constitutional Council in Parliament on 21st February 2019) Hon. Speaker, • If my memory serves me right, I cannot recall an occasion in Sri Lanka’s recent history when […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Read the full report as a PDF:Sri Lanka Briefing Note No 14 Feb. 2019 In the last two months of 2018, Sri Lanka witnessed a political coup led by its President. The coup was short lived. The attempt to overthrow the democratically elected Government and bring back the authoritarian ruler, who was rejected […]

(Sunday Observer 17 Feb 2019) Right wing politicians have taken up cudgels against Navy officials testifying against senior rankers implicated in an abduction for ransom racket in 2008-2009. Investigators worry the campaign of intimidation could hamper the probe and deter key witnesses from coming forward In 2012, Naval Intelligence officer Lieutenant Commander Krishan Welagedara became […]

Image: Remains of two UN peacekeepers killed in Mali arrive in Sri Lanka. His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Presidential Residence Paget Road Colombo 07 Your Excellency, Re: His Excellency the President’s Statement in the Parliament about the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka. We have been made aware of […]

Time is running out for the Sri Lankan authorities to deliver on its 2015 commitments to truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence, Amnesty International warned today in a new briefing. As the tenth anniversary of the end of Sri Lanka’s internal conflict looms in May, progress on UN Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1 has […]

Image ©SLB The Commission chaired by Christophe Deloire and Shirin Ebadi is today releasing the “International Declaration on Information and Democracy,” which establishes democratic guarantees for the global information and communication space. Seventy years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in Paris, the READ THE DECLARATION HERE“International Declaration on Information and Democracy” is establishing […]