Sri Lankan leadership has not backed accountability for atrocities - HRW 2025 World Report

HRW 2025

Like presidents before him, Sri Lanka's Anura Kumara Dissanayake has not backed accountability for "large-scale violations" that took place during the armed conflict, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its World Report 2025.

In the November 2024 parliamentary elections, the National People’s Power (NPP) secured a commanding majority, raising expectations for systemic reform. However, the report cites how Dissanayake’s administration has faced criticism for failing to prioritize justice for past atrocities.

Despite promises of equitable governance, Dissanayake has not demonstrated commitment to addressing the legacy of grave abuses committed during the armed conflict. Successive Sri Lankan governments have shielded perpetrators, within the security forces and state, from accountability for crimes such as enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture. Tens of thousands of Tamils were killed by the Sri Lankan government in the final phase of the armed conflict alone. The government-established Office on Missing Persons (OMP) has made negligible progress, with concerns over political interference and the appointment of individuals implicated in past violations.

Dissanayake dismissed calls for accountability and instead pledged to protect Sri Lankan war criminals from prosecution.

The UN Human Rights Council extended its mandate to monitor and collect evidence of wartime abuses, emphasizing the need for international investigations and prosecutions. However, the Sri Lankan government has repeatedly rejected such mechanisms and refused to comply with resolutions.

Sri Lanka’s economic crisis also undermines basic rights, said HRW. Although the economy stabilized under an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program, the reforms disproportionately affected low-income groups, with cuts to subsidies and public services. Nearly 26% of the population lives below the extreme poverty line, and stunting among children has risen sharply. The IMF’s social spending requirement of 0.6% of GDP falls short of global norms, leaving millions struggling to access education, healthcare, and livelihoods.

Freedoms of expression and assembly also remain under threat, continued the international rights group. The controversial Online Safety Act, introduced under the Wickremesinghe administration and criticized for criminalizing legitimate expression, remains a point of contention despite Dissanayake’s pledge to amend it. Civil society organizations, particularly in the Tamil homeland, face intrusive restrictions, harassment, and surveillance.

The PTA also continues to facilitate arbitrary detentions, disproportionately targeting Tamils and Muslims. Between January 2023 and April 2024, 46 cases of arrests under the PTA were documented, with many detainees reporting torture. Dissanayake has reiterated his commitment to abolish the PTA, but concrete action remains pending.

Read the full report here.

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