PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Sri Lanka: Human Rights (4 June 2021)

Sri Lanka is a human rights priority country for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). We regularly monitor and report on human rights developments and raise concerns with the government of Sri Lanka, both privately and publicly. These concerns include the harassment of civil society, the range of civilian functions brought under military control, the situation for minority communities, and the importance of accountability and reconciliation following the conflict.

The Minister of State for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has raised concerns with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister and the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the UK about a number of human rights issues, most recently during calls in January and May respectively. The UK government also led a new resolution on promoting accountability, reconciliation and human rights in Sri Lanka which was adopted by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on 23 March. The resolution provides a continued framework for international engagement on human rights in Sri Lanka, and highlights serious concerns about the situation, including those detailed in the report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). It calls on the government of Sri Lanka to make progress on accountability and human rights, and stresses the importance of a comprehensive accountability process for all violations and abuses committed in Sri Lanka. We will continue to engage with the government of Sri Lanka on these important issues.