Sri Lanka: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ report must be implemented

Responding to the publication of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ report on ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’, Amnesty International’s South Asia Researcher, Thyagi Ruwanpathirana, said:

“The report importantly stresses the need to press ahead with truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government should implement the report’s recommendations in full, in line with the commitments already made in the UN Human Rights Council resolution 30/1. As the High Commissioner has noted, slow progress on these commitments has resulted in few concrete results.

“Amnesty International also calls on the UN Human Rights Council to welcome the High Commissioner’s report and keep the situation in Sri Lanka on its agenda. The council should also reaffirm its support for Resolution 30/1, ensure the Office of the High Commissioner continues to monitor progress on commitments, and urge the Sri Lankan government to meet those commitments in a time-bound manner.”