NEW YORK, 27 March, 2021(TON): Human Rights Watch said that the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka is a victory for victims of abuses to help them obtain information, accountability, and justice.

The UN and member countries should emphasize to Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa that any retaliation against activists who campaigned for the resolution would have serious consequences.

“The Human Rights Council’s landmark resolution on Sri Lanka shows that if justice is denied, the UN will act to provide accountability for atrocities,” said John Fisher, Geneva director.

“When governments fail to respect their international law obligations, as Sri Lanka has, it’s crucial for the Human Rights Council to respond with substantive measures like these,” he added.

On 23 March, the Resolution 46/1 was adopted that establishes a powerful new accountability process to collect, analyze, and preserve evidence of international crimes committed in Sri Lanka for use in future prosecutions.

The Sri Lankan government vigorously opposed the resolution, and there have been numerous reports of threats and harassment against rights activists in recent months.

However, the resolution was adopted in response to a devastating report in January by the UN high commissioner for human rights as it establishes a dedicated new capacity within the Office to collect, consolidate, analyze and preserve information and evidence of gross violations of human rights or serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in Sri Lanka, and to advocate for victims and survivors, and to support relevant judicial and other proceedings, including in Member States, with competent jurisdiction.