A report issued today (22nd) by the UN Human Rights Office identifies renewed threats to fundamental freedoms in Sri Lanka, evidenced by the introduction of new or proposed regressive laws, the erosion of democratic checks and balances, ongoing intimidation and threats against civil society and journalists, and the recurrence of serious human rights violations from the past.
“As the country approaches presidential and parliamentary elections, it has an opportunity to recommit to the transformational changes demanded by a broad cross-section of Sri Lankans, including accountability and reconciliation,” said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk.
The report highlights several laws and bills introduced by the government since 2023, which grant security forces broad powers and significantly expand existing restrictions on freedoms of expression, opinion, and association. “This trend is particularly concerning as the country is in an important pre-election period,” Türk added.
Despite a promised moratorium, authorities have continued to use the Prevention of Terrorism Act to arrest and detain individuals, the report notes. It also underscores recent cases of arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, and deaths in custody.
The report further details the ongoing effects of the 2022 economic crisis and subsequent austerity measures, particularly on the poor and women. Türk emphasized that economic policy decisions must align with Sri Lanka’s international human rights obligations, including ensuring adequate social protection. He also called on Sri Lanka’s creditors to provide the government with the fiscal space necessary to realize economic, social, and cultural rights.
Impunity and a lack of accountability for crimes committed during and after the civil war, which ended in 2009, persist, according to the report. Türk urged the government elected next month to address the root causes of conflict, undertake fundamental constitutional and institutional reforms, and close the accountability gap to work towards reconciliation.
The report also describes a long-standing pattern of intimidation and harassment of journalists and civil society actors, especially those working on issues related to enforced disappearances, land disputes, and the environment. Families of those forcibly disappeared continue to face intimidation, arrest, and surveillance by security services as they seek the truth or even commemorate the absence of their loved ones.
“Crimes and violations committed during and after the civil war, including the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, must not go unpunished. They must be thoroughly investigated, and those responsible held to account,” Türk asserted.
In the absence of willingness or ability by the Sri Lankan State to prosecute and punish perpetrators of crimes, the report urges the international community to pursue complementary strategies to support accountability in Sri Lanka. This includes the appropriate use of extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction, targeted sanctions against credibly alleged perpetrators, and other available measures consistent with international law.
