Government’s Feeble Response to UN Human Rights Review
Numerous ways in which human rights failings harming Sri Lankans should be set right were flagged up on July 10 by the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). This was part of…
International Relations
Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Failings Under UN Spotlight
As the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) prepares to gather from June 19 to July 14, the situation in Sri Lanka is once more on the agenda. An oral update from…
The Case of VM and Meeting Sri Lanka’s International Obligations
Star As Sri Lanka marks the end of a long and bloody civil war 14 years on, the legacy of the brutal past remains unaddressed and continues to haunt the country. The…
Victoria Nuland Calls Chinese Bluff on Sri Lanka Debt Relief
The US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, visited Sri Lanka last week and dominating her agenda with the government was the core issue of restructuring the government’s foreign…
Answering for Past Crimes and Ending Present Injustices
A Supreme Court judgement, a new US law, Canadian sanctions and United Nations evidence gathering are making it increasingly hard for Sri Lanka’s past and present rulers to avoid accountability for large…
Sri Lanka and the World: Towards a New Approach
Speaking in Parliament in 1996, Anura Bandaranaike dwelt on the legacy of his father and mother. He spoke of how the world had viewed Sri Lanka in their time and how it…
President’s Anti Freedom Crackdown Undermines Trust
As Sri Lankans continue to suffer the effects of the economic crisis and varied human rights abuses, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has made clear his willingness to use force against people who protest…
Sri Lanka After Geneva: Quo Vadis?
Yet another resolution on Sri Lanka has passed in the UN Human Rights Council, 20 member states voting for it, seven against and 20 abstaining. This resolution will facilitate the continuation of…
Pushing Their Narrative: China’s Efforts to Influence Sri Lankan Media
The 21st century has seen a rapid expansion of globalisation at unprecedented speed. So much so that no country is an island anymore, not even Sri Lanka. This phenomenon, which has brought…
Who Goes to Geneva and Why
The 51st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is currently reviewing a new draft resolution on Sri Lanka. The core group invited the Sri Lankan government, other governments and…
UN Human Rights Council Urged to Take Firm Action on Sri Lanka
During the first week of the latest United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) gathering in Geneva, the grave economic and political situation in Sri Lanka was discussed and strong action urged. This…
Sri Lanka Faces a Gathering Storm at Geneva Sessions
As the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) prepares to meet, the regime’s multiple failures to protect and respect Sri Lankans are under local and international scrutiny. A hard-hitting report from the…
Paying Attention to the Voices That Will Not Be Silenced
As the world marks another International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, in Sri Lanka, which has the second highest number of forcibly disappeared in the world after Iraq, families of…
Something Toxic this Way Comes
“Terror continuous dark terror against the fragile human land…” Zbigniew Herbert (To Marcus Aurelius) Had Sri Lanka a parliamentary system of governance, the Rajapaksas would have been out by now. Thanks to…
Preventing or Promoting Terror? Regime’s Rough Ride at UN
The Sri Lankan government was never likely to find the scrutiny of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in March 2022 a comfortable experience. In a discussion delayed because of the…