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2025-08-14

UN urges Sri Lanka to address legacy of atrocities, warns of continuing impunity

A new report released by the United Nations Human Rights Office on August 13, 2025, has strongly criticized Sri Lanka for its persistent failure to address serious human rights violations and international crimes stemming from its decades-long ethnic conflict. The 18-page document calls on the government to take “transformative” action to tackle the entrenched culture of impunity, end discrimination against Tamils, and acknowledge its role in wartime atrocities. However, it stops short of calling for a fully internationalized accountability mechanism. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk described the report as a potential turning point for Sri Lanka, urging leaders to break with the past by recognizing the suffering of victims and accepting responsibility for violations committed by both state forces and the LTTE. He stressed that accountability must begin with a formal acknowledgment of crimes and abuses, warning that “the pain and suffering of victims remains palpable,” and must no longer be ignored.

The report reiterates the importance of delivering justice to victims, restoring the rule of law, and dismantling the militarization and systemic discrimination that have long defined Tamil life. Yet, Tamil activists remain deeply skeptical. They argue that without international enforcement, the UN’s recommendations are likely to be dismissed like previous ones. One British Tamil activist said, “This is not the first time the UN has told Sri Lanka what must change,” adding that faith in the government is misplaced and highlighting the international community’s inaction in the face of Sri Lanka’s repeated failures.

The report’s findings draw from the work of the OHCHR’s Sri Lanka Accountability Project, which now holds over 105,000 pieces of evidence, documenting patterns of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual violence, and violations against children. Despite this extensive documentation, the UN admits that no individual has been prosecuted for international crimes related to the conflict.

While Türk acknowledges that the primary responsibility for accountability lies with the Sri Lankan state, he also concedes that international mechanisms can “complement and support” domestic processes. This balanced stance reflects growing frustration with Colombo’s continued refusal to cooperate with Human Rights Council resolutions and its rejection of international accountability mechanisms.

The report also highlights ongoing abuses under the current government, including the harassment of human rights defenders, journalists, and victims’ families. It criticizes the continued use of the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), arbitrary arrests, and credible reports of torture and deaths in custody. Despite promises of reform, these patterns of repression have remained unchanged across successive Sinhala-led governments.

Key recommendations in the report include the release of all political prisoners, the return of lands still occupied by the military, and Sri Lanka’s accession to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). These align closely with long-standing demands by Tamil civil society and victims’ groups, who argue that only sustained international pressure will bring real change.

The report ends with a warning: without genuine accountability, the cycle of abuse, denial, and injustice will persist—leaving victims without redress and further eroding Sri Lanka’s democratic foundations.