UN demands sweeping reforms in Sri Lanka

A scathing report from the United Nations has issued a firm challenge to the Sri Lankan government, warning that initial momentum towards post-conflict justice and human rights progress has largely stalled.

Presenting an extensive blueprint for reform to the UN Human Rights Council, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk emphasised that without concrete, time-bound measures to dismantle entrenched impunity and state repression, Sri Lanka risks repeating past cycles of violence and political instability.

Dismantling state repression and restrictive laws

At the centre of the UN's recommendations is an urgent demand for the Sri Lankan government to impose an immediate moratorium on the Prevention of Terrorism Act and scrap proposed replacement bills that preserve overbroad executive powers.

The report explicitly calls for the repeal of restrictive legislation like the Online Safety Act and demands that state authorities issue strict public orders to military and intelligence agencies to halt all surveillance, harassment, and reprisals against civil society actors, journalists, and war victims.

Furthermore, Sri Lanka is urged to establish a credible domestic human rights screening and accountability framework aligned with UN standards to provide essential safeguards for the country's participation in UN-mandated operations and international security deployments.

Overhauling the penal system and drug policy

Singling out prison reform as an urgent priority, the High Commissioner demanded decisive action to address systemic violence, inadequate resources, and severe overcrowding across the nation's penal system.

Following violent clashes at Negombo Prison that left 32 people dead, the report explicitly urges Sri Lanka to overhaul its penal policy by restricting imprisonment as a measure of last resort.

The government is pressed to adopt a health-centred response to drug use instead of relying on punitive incarceration for minor drug offences.

Establishing independent judicial bodies and accountability

To break entrenched impunity, the report urges the government to expedite the establishment of a fully independent, effective, and robust public prosecutorial body capable of assessing information and making independent prosecutorial decisions.

Sri Lanka is also called upon to consider creating a special judicial mechanism with an independent special counsel to investigate human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law committed in previous decades, while actively seeking international assistance.

To foster transparency, state authorities are urged to extend standing invitations to relevant UN Special Procedure mandate holders to conduct official country visits.

International sanctions and universal jurisdiction

The report explicitly calls on the international community to step in and enforce accountability through global legal avenues, advising UN member states to investigate and prosecute alleged Sri Lankan perpetrators in their national courts through universal or extraterritorial jurisdiction and mutual legal assistance.

International actors are encouraged to implement targeted sanctions, such as asset freezes and travel restrictions, against individuals credibly implicated in serious human rights violations.

With the UN accountability project now holding over 123,000 evidence items to support future legal proceedings, observers emphasise that sustained global pressure and targeted assistance remain vital to assisting Sri Lanka with legal reforms, country-wide reconciliation, and securing long-term peace.