Government not on track on 16/25 commitments to Human Rights Council

The Sri Lanka Campaign released a score-card on the Government’s progress towards implementing its promises made at the Human Rights Council in October 2015 to address human rights violations and embark on a process of reconciliation.

Commenting on the evaluation, Richard Gowing, Deputy Campaign Director of the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice, said:  “The findings of the evaluation raise serious questions about the willingness of the Sri Lankan Government to take the bold steps necessary to address the legacy of the war. Of the 25 specific commitments pledged by the Government at the Human Rights Council last year, 16 can be classified as ‘not on track’ or as giving cause for concern, compared to only three which can be described as ‘on track’. For the six remaining commitments it remains too soon to say.

“Whilst acknowledging that many of the measures promised by the Sri Lankan Government will require time and patience, we are increasingly concerned that the ambition of the promises made to the Human Rights Council in October 2015 is not being matched by the required level of political will. “Though the Government has shown greater willingness to engage with the international community on human rights issues and to hear the concerns of war survivors through its consultation process, there are worrying signals that it is not doing enough to prepare the ground some of the toughest, yet arguably most important, steps – such as demilitarising the north, investigating disappearances and prosecuting war crimes.

“The current reconciliation process may be the best chance Sri Lanka has, and may ever have, of dealing with its recent past and laying the foundations for a sustainable peace. The stakes remain very high, not just for war survivors seeking truth and justice, but for all Sri Lankans who have a stake in averting yet another cycle of conflict.”

The score-card can be accessed at: https://www.srilankacampaign.org/keep-the-promise/