Sri Lanka's President Meets UN Rights Chief In New York

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at the Human Rights Council Auditorium of the UN Secretariat.

The meeting, held on the afternoon of September 23 (US time), marked a pivotal moment in Sri Lanka’s ongoing efforts to rebuild its international standing and reaffirm its commitment to human rights, reconciliation, and institutional reform.

UN Human Rights Chief's Report:

On 8th September, the UN Human Rights Chief in his report said that Sri Lanka stands at a crossroads, with what he calls a “historic opporctunity” to break free from decades of violence, impunity, and division.

Addressing the Human Rights Council, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged the government to transform its pledges into a coherent, time-bound plan for justice, reconciliation, and reform.

The report identifies three critical pillars for progress:

-Delivering accountability and justice

-Undertaking deep constitutional, legal, and institutional reforms

-Eliminating discrimination and political division

The High Commissioner welcomed the government’s plan to establish an independent public prosecution office and urged the creation of a special judicial mechanism with an independent counsel to investigate serious human rights and humanitarian law violations.

He also pressed for urgent legislative reforms, including:

-Immediate moratorium on the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which continues to enable arbitrary arrests despite promises of repeal.

-Amendment or repeal of restrictive laws, such as the Online Safety Act, the ICCPR Act, the Draft NGO Bill, and the Draft Personal Data Protection Act.

Türk reaffirmed the UN’s readiness to assist Sri Lanka, highlighting the Sri Lanka Accountability Project, which has compiled over 105,000 pieces of evidence to support justice and truth-seeking. He urged member states to cooperate in prosecuting alleged perpetrators under universal jurisdiction and to consider targeted sanctions against those credibly accused of gross violations.

“Together, the international community can help Sri Lankans escape the twin threats of persistent impunity and deep inequality,” Türk concluded.