ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has expressed its regrets on inconsistent application of human rights principles by the United Nations Human Rights Council as the island nation delivered its statement at the 58th session in Geneva.
It is the first update on human rights at the Geneva session by the new government under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The Statement following the Oral Update on Sri Lanka by the High Commissioner for Human Rights was delivered by Himalee Arunatilaka, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva on Monday (03).
“We remain steadfast in our belief that national ownership with gradual reforms, is the only practical way forward to transformative change,” Arunatilaka said in her statement.
“We regret the continuing inconsistent application of human rights principles through the work of the Council. This has resulted in the erosion of trust in the human rights architecture making countries less likely to respect the noble purposes for which the Human Rights Council was created.”
Sri Lanka has faced longstanding allegations of human rights violations, particularly during the final stages of its civil war in 2009.
Both government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been accused of committing serious abuses, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A 2011 United Nations Panel of Experts reported “credible allegations” of such violations by both parties.
In response to these allegations, the UNHRC has adopted several resolutions addressing accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.
Notably, in a resolution adopted in March 2021, emphasized the importance of preserving evidence related to human rights violations and strengthening the capacity of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to collect and analyze such information.
Subsequently, in October 2022, the UNHRC adopted another resolution, which continued to promote reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka.
“Sri Lanka has consistently spoken out against country specific resolutions that do not have the concurrence of the country concerned,” Arunatilaka said.
She emphasized that Sri Lanka has reiterated its rejection of all resolutions related to human rights violations and the external evidence gathering mechanism on Sri Lanka that has been set up using these divisive and intrusive resolutions.
“The external evidence gathering mechanism on Sri Lanka within the OHCHR is an unprecedented and ad hoc expansion of the Council’s mandate, and contradicts its founding principles of impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity,” she said.
“No sovereign state can accept the superimposition of an external mechanism that runs contrary to its Constitution and which pre-judges the commitment of its domestic legal processes.”
“Furthermore, serious concerns have been raised by a number of countries on the budgetary implications of this external mechanism, particularly at a time the UN is undergoing severe budgetary constraints.”
“Sri Lanka reiterates its commitment to multilateral cooperation in pursuit of peace, prosperity, and sustainability along with the promotion and protection of all human rights.”
In her statement, Arunatilaka reiterated Sri Lanka’s commitment for the work of the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), Office for Reparations, and National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR).
Despite international efforts, concerns persist regarding ongoing human rights issues in Sri Lanka.
Reports before the new government came to power have indicated that the government had restricted freedoms, such as peaceful assembly, and had used excessive force against protesters.
Additionally, there have been allegations of arbitrary arrests and detentions under counter terrorism law, popularly known as Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). (Colombo/March 03/2025)
