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UK imposes sanctions on three Sri Lankan commanders for serious human rights violations

2025-03-24

MARCH 2025: The United Kingdom enacted sanctions against four individuals linked to the civil conflict in Sri Lanka, citing significant human rights abuses. These sanctions, which include travel restrictions and asset freezes, are part of the UK's Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime aimed at holding accountable those responsible for severe human rights violations.

The UKs actions were condemned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which characterized them as unilateral and detrimental to efforts aimed at national reconciliation. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa dismissed the accusations, claiming that the military's operations were directed solely against the LTTE and not against the Tamil population.

The sanctions specifically targeted three Sri Lankan military commanders and one individual namely Shavendra Silva, the former chief of defense staff Wasantha Karannagoda, the former navy commander Jagath Jayasuriya, a retired army commander and Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known as Karuna Ammaan, a former LTTE commander who later served as a government minister.

These individuals were sanctioned for their involvement in extrajudicial killings and assaults on civilians in designated nofire zones during the civil war's final stages, as well as for their roles in the abduction and forced disappearance of eleven civilians, torture, and enforced disappearances at the Joseph Camp detention facility, and the recruitment of child soldiers, along with summary executions.

The imposition of these sanctions followed persistent, evidencebased advocacy from local and international civil society organizations, activists, and NGOs. Organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International praised the sanctions, urging other countries to adopt similar measures to enhance accountability and transparency

These sanctions signify ongoing global efforts to ensure accountability for human rights violations that occurred during Sri Lanka's civil war.