United Nations reports little progress on justice in Sri Lanka

A report by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk indicates little progress in achieving justice for human rights violations committed during Sri Lanka’s civil war, which ended in 2009. Despite President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s September 2024 pledge to address past abuses, the UN finds there has been no accountability for crimes under international law or serious violations of international humanitarian law committed by all parties during the conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Human Rights Watch has echoed these concerns, noting a lack of movement regarding enforced disappearances, the killing of aid workers, and the targeting of journalists. The government has reportedly failed to establish an independent public prosecutor’s office or implement necessary structural reforms. Furthermore, the administration has not accepted the Sri Lanka Accountability Project, a UN Human Rights Council initiative designed to collect evidence of abuses.

The report highlights the continued use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act to arrest and harass journalists, human rights defenders, and victims' families. The High Commissioner has called for a moratorium on the use of this law and urged the government to implement security sector reforms and pursue genuine reconciliation.