Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake is scheduled to undertake his first official visit to Germany on June 11, amid international scrutiny over his government's human rights record, lack of progress on accountability for wartime atrocities and failure to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
This trip marks Dissanayake’s fourth overseas visit since assuming office, following previous engagements with India, China, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. In Germany, he is expected to meet with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Foreign Minister Boris Pistorius, and Defence Minister Katherina Reiche. However, a meeting with Chancellor Friedrich Merz has not been confirmed, a detail some observers interpret as a diplomatic signal of concern over Colombo’s human rights record.
Germany is anticipated to raise several longstanding issues during the visit, including the repeal of the PTA, a law widely condemned for enabling arbitrary detention, torture, and the suppression of dissent. European nations, alongside other members of the international community, have consistently urged successive Sri Lankan governments to abolish the PTA.
The PTA has been used extensively to detain individuals without charge, often targeting Tamils. Despite promises of reform, the law remains in effect, and proposed replacements have been criticised for failing to meet international norms.
Germany is also expected to address Sri Lanka's lack of progress on accountability for mass atrocities, particularly the failure to investigate war crimes committed during the final stages of the armed conflict in 2009, which resulted in tens of thousands of Tamil civilian deaths. The continued impunity for these atrocities has been a point of contention in Sri Lanka's relations with Western nations.