Sri Lanka’s foreign minister addressed a press conference in Colombo earlier today, where he claimed that a UN resolution on accountability in Sri Lanka had “failed”, despite it passing just hours earlier with 22 votes in favour to 14 votes against and 11 abstentions.

In a last minute press conference, Dinesh Gunawardena told reporters that the resolution was “a waste of money” and “highly uncalled for”.

“Without the consent and acceptance of the country concerned, it cannot be implemented,” he continued.

India said that it would continue to urge the Sri Lankan government to “address the aspirations of the Tamil community,” even as it abstained from voting in favour of a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on accountability for mass atrocities committed on the island earlier today.

The United Nations Human Rights Council has passed a resolution on accountability and justice in Sri Lanka, by 22 votes in favour to 14 votes against and 11 abstentions.

The resolution, adopted earlier today, will mandate the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to "collect" as well as "consolidate, analyse and preserve” evidence that could be used in future war crimes trials.

The resolution also “expresses serious concern at the trends emerging over the past year, which represent a clear early warning sign of a deteriorating situation of human rights in Sri Lanka” and highlights “ongoing impunity and political obstruction of accountability for crimes and human rights violations”.

More than US$ 2.8 million has been budgeted for the collection and analysis of evidence, with a report to be produced and presented to the Council in 2022.

Sri Lankan Police have arrested freelance journalist, Sujeewa Gamage, for allegedly making 'false claims that he was abducted, tortured and abandoned on a road in Colombo by armed men on 10 March 2021,

While receiving treatment for burns and injuries in the hospital, Gamage told the press that the attack was to obtain information, containing his news sources and of his affiliations with opposition politicians, that was in his possession at the time of the incident. 

Amnesty International have expressed concern over  "a worrying trend of increased marginalisation and targeting of Sri Lanka’s Muslim community" in a new report as discrimination of Muslims continues to rise on the island. 

In their report, Amnesty International highlighted four new Sri Lankan government proposals and regulations that have been proposed this month which target the Muslim community on the island.

The Tamil National Alliance’s (TNA) spokesperson M.A Sumanthiran has expressed that “hopes are high” that India will vote for the resolution on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC, despite Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary, Jayanath Colombage stating that India has “assured” the government of its support against it, reports The Hindu.

^{Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen - Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)}

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General, Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen, received a phone call from Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, where relations between the OIC and Sri Lanka were discussed as well as the situation of the Muslim community in Sri Lanka.  

As the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council is set to vote on a crucial resolution on Sri Lanka tomorrow, politicians in Tamil Nadu have come out with statements urging the Indian government to vote in favour of the resolution, and for justice and accountability for Eelam Tamils. 

Sinnarasa Siventhiran, a government school teacher in Kilinochchi, has been summoned by the Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Department (TID), in an entirely Sinhala language notice, to its head office in Colombo for an investigation. 

Siventhiran has launched an official complaint with the Human Rights Commission against the summon contending that he has committed no crimes and the summon is an act of intimidation to his normal course of life. 

Peaceful demonstrations calling on the Sri Lankan government to sever ties with the Myanmar military junta were held by Tamils in Mannar and Batticaloa last week. 

Organised by the North-East Coordinating Committee, the march was joined by human rights activists, civil society forums, people affected by the war and the general public from the North-East. 

In Batticaloa, people and institutional representatives from the surrounding districts of Trincomalee and Ampara also congregated in the Gandhi Park in the district.