Geneva resolution

Last week, Sri Lanka’s new government formally withdrew its support for UN Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution 30/1 – thereby pulling the plug on its long-standing pledge to establish a domestic accountability mechanism capable of investigating atrocity crimes committed during the country’s civil war. Although the resolution does not expire until March next year, and the Office […]

Former Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has said that the decision to co-sponsor Geneva Resolution 30/1 was taken by the yahapalana government under the leadership of then President Maithripala Sirisena. Samaraweera, in a statement issued on withdrawal from Resolution 30/1 and subsequent resolutions extending its mandate in the UN Human Rights Council, has said: “At a […]

Speaking at HRC 43 today Human Rights High High Commissioner called on the Human Rights Council to remain alert to Sri Lanka’s situation in terms of prevention and to explore all possible avenues for advancing accountability. Her statement in full: I move to our update on Sri Lanka, HRC/43/19, assessing the progress made in implementing […]

Collective travel ban imposed on the Army Commander and his family by the USA. The United States of America has prohibited the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva or members of his family from entering that country. Even though we are now in the 21st Century, even members of his family […]

In a meeting with the Tamil National Alliance today in Colombo, Rep. Ami Bera assured that the United States will do all things possible to ensure that the Government of Sri Lanka delivers on its commitments to the International Community. Rep. Ami Bera  is a Member of Congress and Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on […]

Colombo, Dec 20 (PTI) Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said he cannot entertain the 2015 UN Human Rights Council resolution co-sponsored by the previous Sirisena government on alleged war crimes during the country’s three-decade long civil war with the LTTE in its current form. Commenting on the Tamil demand for political autonomy, Rajapaksa on […]

COLOMBO, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) — Sri Lanka’s new government will make a fresh presentation to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), explaining all the atrocities and war crimes committed by the Tamil Tiger rebels who were militarily defeated by government forces after a 30-year war in 2009, local media reports said Tuesday. President’s Spokesperson, […]

Indicating that the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution was a priority for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administration, Foreign Affairs Minister Dinesh Gunawardena yesterday said the key agreement would soon be revisited. Speaking after formally assuming duties, Gunawardena said that they were focused on “revisiting” agreements signed under the previous Government. He also noted that […]

Mangala Samaraweera. At a Press Conference on 15 October 2019, Presidential Candidate of the SLPP, Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, dismissed Sri Lanka’s commitments to our citizens on human rights, rule of law, and processes for truth-seeking, reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence including Resolution 30/1. He also dismissed the need to address the grievances of families from […]

In a discussion with Mr Fergus Auld, Head of South Asia Department , UK and India Coordinator TNA has insisted that  the process outlined by the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution in Geneva should be kept alive, and tall  necessary action  should be taken to ensure its implementation within a given time frame. Full statement issued […]

(01 July 2918/ST)The newly gazetted Office for Reparations Bill will provide for “individual reparations” as well as “collective reparations”, which will include monetary payment or material benefits to aggrieved persons, while recognising means of remembrance of deceased persons, including memorials. The Bill to replace the Rehabilitation of Persons, Properties & Industries Authority Act 1987 has […]

 Statement on United States Relations with Sri Lanka. June 21, 2018:  Secretary Pompeo has announced that the United States  withdrew from the United Nations Human Rights Council effective June 19, 2018.  Ambassador Keshap met with senior Sri Lankan officials to convey the assurance of the United States Government that we will remain fully engaged with […]

(Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera speaking at yesterday’s press conference. Picture by Wimal Karunathilake) Talks progressing on type of mechanism; Of the type all stakeholders can agree;Truth Seeking Process first. Consultations are taking place to determine the type of Mechanism for Accountability, the architecture of which can be finalised by the end of the year, […]

( Sri Lanka Delegation to the HRC 32) A number of countries voiced their support for the High Commissioner’s oral update today and re-asserted their commitment to ensuring full implementation of Resolution 30/1. While welcoming the positive steps taken by the Sri Lankan government, several countries expressed concern with ongoing human rights violations and the […]

Speech by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera at the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs (NUPI), Oslo, 21 June 2016. Ladies and Gentlemen, in fact all of you are aware, that on the 08th of January last year in a historic election, in fact what the world calls the rainbow election of 2015, the people of Sri […]

( War zone, May 2009, Sri Lanka) Minister of Regional Development, Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka  has said that he  welcomes for international involvement on war crimes allegations during the final stages of the conflict, provided they come in on an advisory level. Fonseka speaking to Nation has said that  having international advisers as supervisors would […]

Joint Statement From the U.S. Department of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka on the Inaugural U.S. – Sri Lanka Partnership Dialogue. Sharing a commitment to democracy, rule of law, and shared prosperity, the United States and Sri Lanka convened the inaugural Partnership Dialogue on February 26, 2016 in Washington, DC. […]

by Zachary Edward Walko The South Asian Centre for Legal Studies (SACLS) held a panel discussion to present their recommendations for a roadmap for implementation of HRC Resolution 30/1, adopted on October 1, 2015. Panelists included Attorney-at-Law A.M. Faaiz, Bhavani Fonseka Senior Researcher and attorney from the Centre for Policy Alternatives and TNA Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran. SACLS’s […]

( U.N. resolution calls for all alleged war crimes to be investigated and tried in special courts by international judges) By Idrees Ali. WASHINGTON –  Sri Lanka’s foreign minister said on Thursday he is willing to consider international participation in investigating possible war crimes during the 26-year Tamil insurgency. “I think it is only fair […]

by Mahinda Rajapaksa. The President and Prime Minister have given the UN Human Rights Commissioner an assurance that last year’s UN Human Rights Council resolution against Sri Lanka will be implemented. This UNHRC resolution was accepted and co-sponsored by the Sri Lankan government and passed by the UNHRC without a vote. The UNP led government […]

[Dr. Pakiasothy Saravanamuthu (Secretary) & Manouri Muttetuwegama (Chairperson) ] UN Special Rapporteur coming here to help in the consultation process. Two-phase action plan shown to Western countries and India. An eleven-member Consultation Task Force will enforce provisions of the US-backed resolution which was jointly sponsored by Sri Lanka at the Human Rights Council in Geneva […]

The president of Sri Lanka has said foreign judges and prosecutors should not be involved in an investigation into allegations of war crimes. In a BBC interview, President Maithripala Sirisena said the country did not need to “import” specialists. Both the army and the Tamil Tiger rebels are accused of atrocities in the civil war […]

The Sri Lankan government will next week begin consultations on the design of domestic mechanism that will look into the allegations of human rights violations, said Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera on Thursday. Mr. Samaraweera, who had earlier met his Norwegian counterpart Børge Brende, told reporters that the mechanism “through which we are trying to address […]

By  T. Ramakrishnan. The Sri Lankan government would not act “in haste” on the issue of setting up a special court on allegations of violations of human rights in the last stages of the civil war, President Maithiripala Sirisena said on Sunday. Answering questions on the status of implementation of a resolution adopted by the […]

by Easwaran Rutnam. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has urged the government to review all cases of detainees held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) Moves to repeal draconian anti-terrorism laws are gathering pace as Sri Lanka prepares to provide an update to the UN Human Rights Council on the […]

By Australian Advocacy for Good Governance in Sri Lanka. A hard-hitting UN Human Rights Council report in September this year contained details of numerous allegations of what it said could amount to war crimes committed during the last phase of Sri Lanka’s civil war that ended in May 2009. Presenting the report to the Council, […]

AFP/ Former president Chandrika Kumaratunga, who heads the office of national unity and reconciliation, said her work cannot be done without justice for victims of the 37-year conflict that ended in May 2009. “We have ended the war nearly seven years ago, but we have not won the peace,” Kumaratunga told reporters. “No reconciliation is […]

( President Maithripala Sirisena and Justice C.G. Weeramantry lighting the traditional oil lamp at the felicitation ceremony) President Maithripala Sirisena has said that with judges of the calibre of one of the world’s most eminent jurists, C.G. Weeramantry, among us, he saw no reason for Sri Lanka to import judges — an apparent reference to […]

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) yesterday took a non-committal stand on the issue of foreign judges sitting on war crimes tribunals expected to be set up soon. It stated that these must inspire the confidence of “stakeholders” and be within the country’s Constitution, a position the Government has also taken. A statement issued […]

(Mangala Samaraweera speaking at the APC, round 2) All Party Conference (APC) on the implementation of Geneva resolution has not been able to come to any agreement on core issues, reports published by Colombo media indicates. According to Daily Mirror common grounds has been found for ‘matters such as the implementation of the recommendations by […]