PEARL Statement at the 54th Regular Session of UN Human Rights Council

At the interactive dialogue on the OHCHR report on Sri Lanka at #UNHRC54, PEARL recalled Sri Lanka’s war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against the Tamil people. The High Commissioner's report found that justice is dependent on the willingness of Sri Lankan authorities and member states to pursue justice efforts. However, PEARL emphasized that successive Sri Lankan governments have refused and continue to refuse any independent investigation into the state and its security forces.

Sri Lanka's entrenched Sinhala-Buddhist majoritarianism serves as the main driving force behind Sri Lanka's political landscape and continues to oppress Tamils whilst upholding instability and impunity on the island. This has consequently led to a rapid increase in land grabs and further Sinhalization in the North-East throughout the years. The recent discovery of a new mass grave is a stark reminder that the past will haunt victims until there is justice and accountability.

Sri Lanka has fully rejected the OHCHR update, its conclusions and recommendations. However, PEARL will continue to call on the international community to make use of internationalized accountability mechanisms to hold Sri Lankan perpetrators accountable. Without justice, accountability and a political solution acceptable to the Tamil people; Sinhala Buddhist majoritarianism will remain unchecked. Whilst the root causes of the ethnic conflict remain unaddressed, a climate of instability, further human rights violations and crisis on the island will only continue.

#UNHRC54 #SriLanka #JusticeForGenocide #TamilGenocide #BlackJuly1983 #Mullivaikkal #RememberMay2009

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Item 2: Interactive dialogue on the report of OHCHR on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. Statement delivered by PEARL Senior Advocacy Officer Sahithyan Thilipkumar on the 11th of September 2023.