Sri Lanka will remain a priority for the UK in 2015, including on issues such as "respect for human rights, a sustainable political settlement and accountability for alleged war crimes", according to the 2014 Human Rights and Democracy Report by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
"The human rights situation in Sri Lanka continued to be of concern in 2014, with little overall improvement. The UK remained concerned over a number of issues: restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly; increases in attacks on Muslim and Evangelical Christian minorities; reports of torture and allegations of extrajudicial killings; and restrictions faced by minority Tamils in formerly conflict-affected areas in the north and east. Human rights defenders (HRDs) and those with dissenting voices were intimidated and subjected to harassment," the report says.
Last year saw no progress on a political solution for the Tamil community, the report further said, urging the Sri Lankan government to work with the TNA.
"There was no progress on seeking or achieving a political settlement with the minority Tamil community. There remained concerns over the situation in the predominantly Tamil and Muslim areas in the north and east. The UK continued to urge the government to work with the Tamil National Alliance to find a political solution."
The report expressed concern about the "high level" of militarisation, highlighting accusations of rape committed by the security forces.
"Although military drawback was evident in some areas, there was still a high level of military involvement in commercial and other civil activities, and the occupation of land in high security zones or military cantonments. The security forces have been accused of human rights violations, including rape, in these areas. Land rights continued to be an issue, with claims that Tamil land was being appropriated by the military and government for reallocation to the Sinhala majority."
The UK's role in promoting human rights was also detailed by the FCO.
"The UK consistently urged the Sri Lankan government to fulfil their international obligations on human rights. We made clear that the activities of HRDs were legitimate and that they should not be subject to harassment and intimidation. Our High Commission in Colombo actively monitored the human rights situation around the country through meetings with a variety of organisations, and actively promoted human rights across various media. The UK also funded projects and programmes specifically designed to improve the human rights situation, including on police reform and women’s rights."
The FCO welcomed the appointment of the new human rights commissioner to the UN and his engagement on Sri Lanka.
"This year we welcomed Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein to the role of High Commissioner. We applaud his high level of engagement with the UNSC, and the strong stance he has taken on issues such as ISIL, Syria and Sri Lanka."
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