The UN Human Rights Office has called on Sri Lanka to take decisive steps to break from decades of entrenched impunity, deliver long-overdue justice, and implement transformative reforms to address serious human rights violations, including crimes committed during the country’s civil war.
In a report released today, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged the Government to develop a comprehensive roadmap to translate its recent pledges on justice, rule of law, and national unity into tangible results.
“Today, an opportunity presents itself for Sri Lanka to break from the past… It now needs a comprehensive roadmap to translate these commitments into results,” Türk said, stressing the need for a formal acknowledgment of violations and crimes committed by both State forces and non-state armed groups such as the LTTE. He emphasised that the pain of victims remains “palpable” and their demands for truth and justice must be met.
The report follows Türk’s recent visit to Sri Lanka, where he met with Government officials, civil society, victims’ groups, and community leaders, and travelled to Trincomalee, Jaffna and Kandy. It calls for sweeping structural reform of the security sector and broader constitutional, legal, and institutional changes in line with the country’s international human rights obligations.
Key recommendations include the creation of a dedicated judicial mechanism with an independent special counsel to address grave rights violations, the release of military-occupied land in the north and east, the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), and the release of long-term PTA prisoners.
While welcoming the Government’s plans to establish an independent Public Prosecutors office, the report raises concern over continued harassment of civil society activists, ongoing surveillance of families of the disappeared, and persistent use of the PTA despite pledges to repeal it. It also urges the amendment or repeal of other laws that restrict fundamental freedoms, including the Online Safety Act, the ICCPR Act, the draft NGO Bill, and the draft Personal Data Protection Act.
The report further highlights the economic crisis’s disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities, particularly the Malaiyahar Tamil community in the plantation sector. Türk urged international financial institutions and creditors to give Sri Lanka the fiscal space to protect social and economic rights, warning that austerity measures must not undermine human rights obligations.
The UN Human Rights Office reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Sri Lanka in advancing accountability, reconciliation, and human rights, while also urging the international community to complement domestic efforts with international accountability measures.
