Colombo, August 13: The UN Human Rights Office has urged Sri Lanka to seize what it called a “historic opportunity” to deliver justice and implement long-delayed reforms addressing serious human rights violations.
In its annual report on Sri Lanka released in Geneva on Tuesday, the body recommended the creation of a dedicated judicial mechanism with an independent special counsel to investigate and prosecute cases of serious human rights abuses and grave breaches of international humanitarian law.
The report also highlighted longstanding grievances in the country’s north and east, urging Colombo to release military-held land to rightful civilian owners. It further called for the repeal of the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), under which detainees have been held without trial for decades.
The UN rights body stressed that genuine accountability, institutional reform, and justice for victims remain central to Sri Lanka’s post-war reconciliation process, warning that failure to act would risk prolonging cycles of impunity and mistrust.