A_HRC_51_5_AdvanceUneditedVersion-4_1The Human Rights High Commissioner has asked the international community to help Sri Lanka address impunity for human rights violations and economic crimes.
The remarks, part of a comprehensive draft report on Sri Lanka’s human rights situation, have been released days ahead of the Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva next week. The High Commissioner has warned the government about the challenges ahead because of painful economic reforms and the risk of further violence.
‘Sri Lanka is experiencing an unprecedented economic crisis and is now at a critical juncture in its political life, which brings the indivisibility of human rights into sharp focus’, the report says. ‘Since March 2022, Sri Lankans from all communities have come together in a broad-based protest movement to demand a change of government and call for accountability and deeper reforms’.
The report covers Sri Lanka’s political and economic crises, human rights trends, militarisation, inclusion and reconciliation, intimidation and threats to former combatants, civil society, and victims and freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and law enforcement.
In the series of recommendations, the High Commissioner’s office makes is a strict moratorium on the use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and to expedite the release of detainees and long-term prisoners held under it, a review of Emergency Regulations and to ensure proposed regulation of social media to protect freedom of peaceful assembly, association and expression.
Other recommendations the High Commissioner’s office makes are measures to guarantee people’s economic and social rights during the economic crisis, considerable reduction of military spending, to tackle corruption decisively and increase investments in health, social security and education, assess any potential human rights impact of international financial assistanceprogrammes and take preventivemeasures to reduce it to the bareminimum, undertake a broad -based consultative process representative of all Sri Lankans to advance constitutional reforms that guarantee the independence of key institutions, including the judiciary and the Human Rights Commission, and advance the devolution of political authority, integral for reconciliation.
The High Commissioner’s office also recommends the preparation of a comprehensive strategy on transitional justice and accountability, investigations and prosecutions in emblematic cases of human rights violations and steps to end the influence of the military on civilian spheres and their presence in the northern and eastern provinces including the return of land held by them.
The report has been prepared in consultation with the Sri Lankan government.
The 51st UNHRC sessions will start on 12th September and continue until 7 October.
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