The Core Group on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) today urged the Sri Lankan government to ensure that transitional justice mechanisms are independent, inclusive, impartial, transparent, and meet the expectations of affected communities.
The statement from the Core Group, delivered at the UNHRC in Geneva by the UK’s Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French, represented Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Core Group expressed gratitude to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, for his recent report on accountability for enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka, highlighting the longstanding impunity for human rights violations.
“We call on the government to engage with its recommendations to address the suffering caused by enforced disappearances and its impact on all communities,” the Core Group stated.
The Core Group emphasized the importance of ensuring that any new legislation in Sri Lanka, including those related to counter-terrorism and online safety, fulfills human rights obligations, particularly protecting freedom of expression.
“We stress the need to safeguard judicial independence and the independence and transparency of the country’s legal institutions,” the statement added.
While welcoming the release of land from the High Security Zone in Jaffna, the Core Group expressed concerns over ongoing tensions related to land seizures in the north and east of Sri Lanka and reports of arbitrary arrests, irregular searches, and ill-treatment in detention during police operations.
“We urge the government to ensure that transitional justice mechanisms are independent, inclusive, impartial, transparent, and meet the expectations of affected communities,” the Core Group reiterated.
