Sri Lanka's Ongoing Struggle with Enforced Disappearances

A United Nations panel has raised alarms over Sri Lanka's inadequate progress regarding enforced disappearances. The panel particularly criticized the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) for making little headway, having tracked only a small number of the nearly 17,000 cases reported. This highlights a significant gap in addressing demands for truth and justice.

The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (UNCED) reported a high level of impunity in Sri Lanka on Tuesday. It pointed to a lack of investigative and prosecutorial advancements among enforced disappearance cases. Concurrently, the UN Human Rights Council decided to extend the mandate of their human rights office in Sri Lanka by two years.

The inefficacy of Sri Lanka's OMP is further exacerbated by its inadequate forensic capacities and the absence of centralized databases. The UN insists on strengthening national entities to identify mass graves and ensure accountability. Families of the disappeared and human rights groups continue to press for truth and reparations, as criticism over political will and resource allocation remains.

(With inputs from agencies.)