Colombo :The Sri Lankan government has said that it will give its views regarding a report released by the United States Department of State on the country’s human rights situation last year after studying the report thoroughly.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Harsha De Silva has said that the government will express its views on the report on Sri Lanka in the 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices published by the U.S. Department of State after a thorough analysis, reports Lanka Page website.
The executive summary of the report on Sri Lanka said that widespread impunity continued in Sri Lanka last year for the crimes committed during the armed conflict and other crimes committed following the end of the conflict, particularly for cases of torture, sexual violence, corruption, and human rights abuses.
The government arrested a number of military and police personnel and other government officials implicated in human rights violations for the crimes committed during the armed conflict.
The report noted that the government arrested and detained a number of military, police, and other officials implicated in old and new cases that included the killing of parliamentarians and the abduction and suspected killings of journalists and private citizens.
President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Rani Wickremesinghe has taken number of measures to address the past human rights abuses and accountability as well as to promote reconciliation.
State Minister of Finance, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena further said that the previous government failed to engage with the international community to resolve misconceptions but now Sri Lanka’s approach has changed.
Regardless of the findings in the report, during the recent past, there has not been anything serious on the matter of democracy and human rights in Sri Lanka, so there is no need for fear, the State Minister said.
He said the Europe has commended the new government’s engagement in protecting human rights and the establishment of democracy in the country. (ANI)