Sri Lanka topped the global torture referrals list for a sixth year running in a summary report by Freedom From Torture.

The organisation listed the top ten countries from where it received referrals to victims of torture in 2016. Sri Lanka topped the list of countries which included Iran, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and Sudan.

Freedom From Torture received over 230 referrals in 2016 alone, with many more in 2017.

Commenting on the ongoing torture in Sri Lanka, the organisation said,

Sri Lanka's president, Maithripala Sirisena said he set up the National Economic Council in order to strengthen the country's economy. 

The NEC would be aimed at increasing export income and developing local industry, Colombo Page reported. 

Stating there is a need to develop the agricultural sector in the country, Mr Sirisena said, "the National Economic Council was established after the discussions with the representatives of World Bank, International Monetary Fund, local and international economic specialists and also Sri Lankan specialists, working abroad."

The body of a man in his 60s has been recovered from a river situated by Lloyds Avenue, Batticaloa on Friday evening.

Local police retrieved the body on Friday evening and transferred it to Batticaloa hospital, reports Batti News. 

The police are reportedly investigated the death. 

Sri Lanka's president Maithripala Sirisena on Friday assured locals that his government would enter into any free trade agreements internationally which would be detrimental to local industry. 

“The government will only enter into any free trade agreements with foreign countries by protecting local industries,” Mr Sirisena was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying. 

Sri Lankan police in Mannar prevented former LTTE cadres and families of fallen LTTE cadres from clearing up an LTTE cemetery on Friday, causing friction between locals and police.

The resettled people of Sampur and Kadarkaraichenai have filed a complaint over land issues to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, submitting over a thousand documents as evidence.

Representatives of the villages went to the Trincomalee regional office of HRCSL to hand over the files of evidence and letters and to register the official complaint.

The fundamental issue of the status of Tamils in Sri Lanka remains unresolved said the former  Norwegian peace-mediator between Sri Lanka’s government and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

In an interview with Indian News outlet DNA India, Mr Eric Solheim said that despite the end of the war . “still the fundamental issues in Sri Lanka – the status of Tamils, and the influence of Tamils within the state of Sri Lanka are not resolved.”

Photographs: Shalin for Tamil Guardian

Over 50 Sri Lankan soldiers were engaged in restoring the tomb of an Indian Army officer in a bid to complete work before the visit of a senior Indian Army commander.

Updated 2300 GMT

Sri Lanka’s constitution does not allow foreign judges to operate in the country and they will not be allowed to hear cases of war crimes, declared the government’s newly appointed foreign minister Tilak Marapana, as he denied his government was under pressure to implement a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on accountability for violations of international law.

The Sri Lankan armed forces are to hold a defence seminar on ‘Countering Violent Extremism’ with hundreds of participants at the end of this month, according to army media.

The seminar, held for the seventh consecutive year, is to be attended by 800 participants, including 200 foreign representatives, according to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence.