Sri Lankan government unwilling to pursue accountability, says UN Human Rights Chief

COLOMBO (News 1st); Michelle Bachelet, the UN Human Rights Commissioner has said that the current Sri Lankan Government has not only demonstrated its unwillingness to pursue accountability, but it has also incorporated military officials implicated in alleged war crimes into the highest levels of government, reinforcing a narrative of impunity.“There have been some recent signs of increased engagement by the government with OHCRH and certain steps to initiate reform,” she told the 11th meeting of the 49th session of the Human Rights Council.The proposal to amend some provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and release some detainees under the act are welcome initial steps, she said adding that she encourages the government to take further steps to address the fundamental problems with the PTA, as well as undertake legal, institutional, and security sector reforms that are critically needed to put an end to impunity and prevent any recurrence of past violations.“Regrettably, the past year has also seen further obstruction and setbacks to accountability.

Victims and their families continue to be denied truth and justice,” she said while adding that the governments’ response to criticism has conflicted democratic principles in place.My February 2021 report identified a number of underlying trends that threaten human rights and these trends continue to advance, she noted while stating that the militarization of civilian government functions is further deepening.“I remain deeply concerned by the concentration of civilian positions in the hands of military officials, some of them implicated in serious allegations of human rights violations,” she noted.She went on to added that the expression of ethno-religious.