The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) has released its findings on Sri Lanka, expressing concern over limited progress in addressing cases of enforced disappearances and the continued lack of accountability.
Following its review of Sri Lanka during its latest session, the Committee highlighted several key issues, including the absence of a comprehensive register of disappeared persons and the slow pace of investigations. It noted that the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) had traced only 23 individuals out of 16,966 cases received.
The Committee urged the government to consolidate a comprehensive and updated register of all disappearance cases, strengthen the OMP, and ensure accountability through effective investigations and prosecutions. It also called for war crimes and crimes against humanity to be incorporated into national legislation and for the speedy establishment of an independent Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The CED also voiced concern over the discovery of at least 17 mass graves and the limited forensic capacity of Sri Lankan authorities. It noted the absence of centralized ante-mortem and post-mortem databases and a national genetic database, urging the government to enhance forensic expertise, ensure proper exhumation and identification procedures, and preserve the dignity and chain of custody of human remains.
The Committee recommended that Sri Lanka develop a comprehensive national strategy to locate, identify, and investigate mass graves, and to return identified remains to families in a dignified manner.
