by UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, August 12, 2025
OHCHR report on Sri Lanka Aug 12 2025
Summary
The present report, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 57/1,
provides a comprehensive analysis of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. It notes the
new Government’s pledges to address long-standing issues but highlights the need for a
coherent plan and concrete steps, particularly regarding accountability for past human
rights violations and international crimes. The report provides recommendations for the
Government and the international community to advance accountability, reconciliation and
human rights….
64.
The High Commissioner recommends that the Human Rights Council and
Member States, as applicable:
(a)
Support Sri Lanka in its efforts to promote legal and institutional reform,
including measures to ensure accountability, and to advance nation-wide reconciliation,
peacebuilding and co-existence;
(b)
Cooperate in investigating and prosecuting alleged perpetrators of
international crimes committed by all parties in Sri Lanka through judicial proceedings
in national jurisdictions, including under accepted principles of extraterritorial or
universal jurisdiction, through relevant international networks and mutual legal
assistance processes, and in cooperation with survivors, families, and their
representatives;
(c)
Consider using other international legal options to advance accountability
in Sri Lanka;
(d)
Explore, as part of a wider range of accountability measures and
consistent with international law, further targeted sanctions such as asset freezes and
travel bans against individuals credibly alleged to have perpetrated gross international
human rights violations or serious humanitarian law violations;
(e)
Support OHCHR to continue its monitoring and reporting and its
strengthened work on accountability for human rights violations and related crimes in
Sri Lanka.