The Sri Lankan government’s strategy of setting up various reconciliation offices is not the same as full implementation of a UN resolution on accountability said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a statement released on Thursday.
“Governments at the Human Rights Council should be clear with Sri Lanka that setting up various reconciliation offices and talking of progress is not the same as implementing the 2015 resolution,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“Long-suffering Sri Lankans need to see the resolution fully carried out, and they need to see evidence that justice is being achieved.”
The statement went on to state that Sri Lanka has largely failed to implement the UN resolution, which mandates a hybrid court to try perpetrators of mass atrocities.
Ms Ganguly went on to comment on an upcoming visit to the island by UN special rapporteur on transitional justice Pablo de Grieff saying it was “crucial” for him to "call out Sri Lanka on its hesitant steps toward justice for victims.”
“Sri Lankan officials need to show that they can do more than just talk the language of human rights and instead put those words into action.”
See the full statement from HRW here.
