Sri Lanka must not ‘squander good will’ says Amnesty International

The Sri Lankan government must not “squander the good will” of those who have “waited decades for their human rights demands to be addressed” said Amnesty International, in a written statement released last week.
The statement, which was submitted to the 32nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council taking place this month, said the “vast majority of alleged abuses before, during, and after Sri Lanka’s armed conflict has not been effectively investigated”.

It also called on the international community to monitor “progress and implementation” of a United Nations resolution that Sri Lankan co-sponsored, which calls for an accountability mechanism with international judges to prosecute perpetrators of mass atrocities.

“Perpetrators have not been prosecuted and torture in police custody persists with impunity,” said the human rights organisation.

In particular, Amnesty International highlighted that the Sri Lankan government’s agenda “does not address complaints of families who testified to the Paranagama Commission that relatives were seen in Army custody before they disappeared” or “the lack of assistance to people attempting to recover from displacement and return of lands occupied by the armed forces”.

Sri Lanka “must increase the pace, transparency and visibility of reform efforts ensuring these are undertaken with genuine cross community collaboration” it added.