UNHRC calls for trying Sri Lanka’s human rights violators under universal jurisdiction

Colombo, Sep 8 (PTI) Sri Lanka’s alleged human rights violators would be tried under universal jurisdiction, the UNHRC in Geneva reiterated on Monday, whereas the island nation opposed international intervention on its human rights situation.

Volker Turk, chief of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), called on the member states to cooperate in investigating and prosecuting “alleged perpetrators of international crimes committed in Sri Lanka, under principles of universal jurisdiction”.

Turk also said that member states should explore further sanctions against “people credibly accused of gross violations of human rights”.

"Justice and accountability are essential to forge a future of healing, reconciliation and sustainable peace," he said. Sri Lanka must acknowledge violations and abuses, he added.

“Victims and survivors need the state and its security forces to accept responsibility and recognise the lasting impact of violations and crimes committed by them, alongside those committed by non-state armed groups such as the LTTE,” Turk said.

The UN rights chief added that he welcomed the government initiative to establish an independent public prosecution office.

“My report recommends setting up a dedicated judicial mechanism with an independent special counsel to look into violations of international human rights and humanitarian law over previous decades,” he said.

In response, Sri Lanka opposed international intervention on its human rights situation, asserting that such actions undermine ongoing domestic efforts to ensure justice and reconciliation.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said his government was committed to ensuring that any person alleged to have committed any unlawful act is investigated, prosecuted and brought before courts.

Herath urged the UNHRC member states to assist Sri Lanka in its domestic processes to ensure accountability.

“We sincerely believe that external action will only serve to create divisions, thereby jeopardising the genuine and tangible national processes. The government is opposed to external mechanisms imposed on us,” he said.

In his report, the UN rights chief urged Sri Lanka to accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which establishes the ICC's jurisdiction over grave crimes of international concern, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

The report also urged the island nation to apply a moratorium on the use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), repeal or amend laws that curtail freedom of expression, such as the Online Safety Act, issue public instructions to the security forces that all extrajudicial methods are banned, and order an end to surveillance of individuals, among other things.

Sri Lanka, however, maintains that it "does not agree" with the conclusions and recommendations in the report regarding international action.

Sri Lanka has come under international scrutiny over alleged human rights violations, particularly during the final stages of its decades-long civil war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which ended in 2009.

Various UN bodies and human rights organisations have repeatedly called for international accountability mechanisms, citing a lack of progress in domestic investigations and judicial processes.

The Sri Lankan government, however, has consistently argued that such external interventions infringe upon the country’s sovereignty and undermine homegrown reconciliation efforts. PTI CORR SCY GSP GSP