Sri Lanka suffers from continuing accountability deficit - UN Human Rights report

Sri Lanka suffers from a continuing accountability deficit - be it for war crime atrocities, more recent human rights violations, corruption, or abuse of power - which must be addressed for the country to move forward

Sri Lanka suffers from a continuing accountability deficit - be it for war crime atrocities, more recent human rights violations, corruption, or abuse of power - which must be addressed for the country to move forward, according to a UN Human Rights Office report published on Wednesday.

“Lack of accountability at all levels remains the fundamental main human rights problem. Whether it refers to war crime atrocities, post-war emblematic cases, torture and deaths in police custody, excesses in crowd control, corruption and the abuse of power, Sri Lanka suffers from an extraordinary accountability deficit that unless addressed will drag the country further behind,” the report said.

The High Commissioner urged the Government and Sri Lankan political parties to strive for and deliver on long over-due democratic renewal, deeper institutional reforms and tangible progress on accountability, reconciliation and human rights.  

“More than a year ago mass protests demanded better governance and an inclusive vision for Sri Lanka - in short, a renewal of the social contract. But the potential for a historic transformation that would address long-standing challenges is far from being realised,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.