COLOMBO (Oct 9) — Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath on Thursday defended the government’s decision not to call for a vote at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), saying it would have been “counterproductive” to do so.
The UNHRC earlier this week adopted a resolution to promote reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka, while extending the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) mandate on the country for another two years — a move Colombo strongly rejected.
Speaking to reporters in Colombo, Herath said that forcing a vote on the resolution would not have changed the outcome and could have further isolated Sri Lanka diplomatically.
“It would have been counterproductive to call for a vote. We have already made our position clear — Sri Lanka does not accept external interference in its internal affairs,” the minister said.
Herath has faced criticism from opposition leaders and former diplomats who accused the government of failing to mobilise friendly nations to call for a vote on the motion.
The latest UNHRC resolution urges Sri Lanka to advance transitional justice and accountability for alleged human rights abuses committed during the country’s civil war, which ended in 2009.