Jim McDonald
Sri Lanka Country Specialist
Amnesty International USA
On September 15, 2016, Amnesty International delivered a statement on Sri Lanka at the interactive dialogue with the U.N. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. See https://www.amnesty.org/en/
" When Sri Lanka co-sponsored UN Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1 in October 2015, among the commitments made were initiatives to account for enforced disappearances.
The Working Group has transmitted more than 12,000 complaints to Sri Lanka. Although the second highest in the world, these represent only the “tip of the iceberg.” In May, the Sri Lankan government acknowledged receiving at least 65,000 complaints of enforced disappearances since 1995.
Amnesty International agrees with the Working Group that Sri Lanka’s invitation to visit the country in 2015 and its increasing openness to international engagement are encouraging signs. There is however still much more to be done to ensure that victims and their families can reliably expect truth, justice and reparation for the grave crimes under international law that they and their loved ones have experienced. In this regard, we welcomed Sri Lanka’s ratification in May of the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
The Working Group has transmitted more than 12,000 complaints to Sri Lanka. Although the second highest in the world, these represent only the “tip of the iceberg.” In May, the Sri Lankan government acknowledged receiving at least 65,000 complaints of enforced disappearances since 1995.
Amnesty International agrees with the Working Group that Sri Lanka’s invitation to visit the country in 2015 and its increasing openness to international engagement are encouraging signs. There is however still much more to be done to ensure that victims and their families can reliably expect truth, justice and reparation for the grave crimes under international law that they and their loved ones have experienced. In this regard, we welcomed Sri Lanka’s ratification in May of the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
For more information on Amnesty's concerns in Sri Lanka, please visit amnestyusa.org/srilanka.
