Sri Lanka is set to remain under the scrutiny of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for a further two years, as a new draft resolution—backed by a core group of nations—moves toward adoption at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva within the next fortnight.
While this resolution will prolong the mandate of the OHCHR’s dedicated Sri Lanka accountability project (OSLap), Colombo has been granted a temporary reprieve, with the next comprehensive assessment on reconciliation, accountability, and human rights scheduled only for September 2027.
The resolution is spearheaded by the United Kingdom, Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. The United States, which co-sponsored the 2022 resolution, has notably stepped back following its withdrawal from the UNHRC earlier this year.
The proposed extension of the OSLap will continue the collection and preservation of evidence relating to alleged gross human rights abuses and serious violations of international humanitarian law during Sri Lanka’s past conflicts. This mechanism is aimed at supporting future accountability processes and potential judicial proceedings in jurisdictions that may claim universal competence.
While recognising the Government’s stated anti-corruption drive and its acknowledgement of the suffering caused by decades of ethnically divisive politics, the resolution underscores pressing reforms—chief among them the repeal of the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act and amendments to the widely criticised Online Safety Act.
It further raises concerns about the identification of several mass grave sites, calling for sufficient resources to ensure proper exhumations and urging the independent functioning of the Office on Missing Persons. The draft also presses Colombo to seek international expertise and support to investigate emblematic human rights cases and the Easter Sunday attacks.
In a significant recommendation, the resolution acknowledges the Government’s pledge to establish an independent public prosecutorial body but insists that it must be truly independent, robust, and effective. It also encourages the creation of a judicial mechanism with an independent special counsel to pursue cases of grave human rights violations and war-era abuses.
Source: Sundaytimes
