Human rights organisations have urged next week's oral update on Sri Lanka's progress on last year's resolution to include clear benchmarks which include immediately achievable steps, in a letter to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussain.
The letter, signed by FORUM-Asia, Franciscans International, Human Rights Watch, International Commission of Jurist, International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR) and the International Service for Human Rights, said while the "government’s assurances on progress have been plentiful its performance on the ground has been mixed and not befitting expectations outlined in your report and in the resolution as well as those of victims and people on the ground," but acknowledged "some positive developments on international cooperation".
"At the same time there have been mixed signals on the government’s commitments made through the October resolution, at the highest level of the government. There have been distressing reports on the ongoing use of arrests under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) instead of the regular criminal code. The PTA is a draconian law consistently condemned by UN bodies and officials and which the government had pledged to repeal as part of its October commitment. Repealing the PTA and dealing with the outstanding cases of those still detained under the law should be a foremost priority," the letter further said.
"Mindful of the long history of failed efforts towards reconciliation and accountability for human rights violations in Sri Lanka, we are worried that in March 2017, the absence of clear progress may cause a loss of confidence in the current UN backed process for justice, accountability and reconciliation."
The organisations said that members of the council had indicated that engagement with the Sri Lankan
government will be guided by the high commissioner's oral update.
"Thus, we believe it is crucial for your oral update to identify areas where progress has been made, as well as areas where there is a lack of progress and incorporate clear benchmarks that include immediately achievable steps," the letter said.
The return of land, the reduction of the size of the military in the North-East, and the establishment of a judicial mechanism "with full participation of international judges, lawyers and prosecutors" were identified by the organisations as benchmarks, taken from statements previously made by the high commissioner.
See full letter here.