Since the end of the war in 2009, Sri Lanka has faced persistent scrutiny at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva over its handling of post-war reconciliation. Key concerns include missing persons, human rights violations, war crimes, land occupation, and the continued military presence in the north and east. Addressing the UNHRC earlier this week, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to independent and credible domestic mechanisms within the constitutional framework to address these challenges. He said “Domestic institutions such as the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), Office for Reparations, and Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) will be strengthened.”
However, the government’s reliance on national mechanisms rather than international ones has drawn criticism from sections of the Tamil polity and global human rights organizations. Last year, Sri Lanka rejected Resolution A/HRC/57/L.1 which tasked the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) with gathering evidence for potential war crimes trials.
The National Peace Council is of the view that the way forward lies in the recommendations of the Presidential Commission to Investigate Findings of Previous Commissions of Inquiry on Human Rights (Nawaz Commission) appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2020. A key proposal is the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. As stated in paragraph 1043 of the Nawaz report: “A Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) can provide a historical record of serious human rights violations, influence institutional reforms, ensure accountability, and offer justice and redress for victims.”
Speaking in Geneva, Foreign Minister Herath also said “The contours of a truth and reconciliation framework, will be further discussed with the broadest possible cross section of stakeholders, before operationalization to ensure a process that has the trust of all Sri Lankans.” It is important that the composition of the proposed Truth and Reconciliation Commission would reflect these sentiments and include credible representatives of all communities, including women, selected through a transparent and public process.
In a world where international norms are increasingly under threat, by engaging sincerely in this process Sri Lanka has the opportunity to emerge as a moral leader in post-war reconciliation and justice on the global stage.
Governing Council
The National Peace Council is an independent and non partisan organization that works towards a negotiated political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. It has a vision of a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka in which the freedom, human rights and democratic rights of all the communities are respected. The policy of the National Peace Council is determined by its Governing Council of who are drawn from diverse walks of life and belong to all the main ethnic and religious communities in the country.