In his report on Sri Lanka, the high commissioner describes entrenched impunity for gross human rights violations; regressive new laws that further threaten fundamental freedoms; threats and violence against victims, civil society actors and journalists; and a deeply alarming recurrence of the serious violations of the past.
The high commissioner notes that impunity led to corruption and the abuse of power, contributing to the economic crisis that has disastrously affected the economic and social rights of Sri Lankans. Popular demands for accountability and reform have been suppressed by the government.
Human Rights Watch has documented the anguish of victims denied justice by successive governments. In May, the wife of a man who was forcibly disappeared in state custody in 2009 – who has long campaigned to uncover the fate of tens of thousands of similar victims in Sri Lanka – told us, “We registered our complaints at every government institution. … [W]e did not receive any information about what happened to our loved ones.” She added, “[t]he main perpetrators are the state, so how can we go to the state and get justice? That’s why we always emphasize an international mechanism.”
This Council has mandated the high commissioner’s office to monitor and report on the situation in Sri Lanka, to collect and preserve evidence of serious violations of international law, and to develop strategies for accountability, which are essential to maintain scrutiny on the country’s human rights crisis, give victims and their families hope, and deter future violations. We strongly urge the Council to adopt a resolution renewing the mandates of the OHCHR for two more years.
