Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

Since the election of President Sirisena in January 2015 the Sri Lankan government has taken a number of positive steps to improve the human rights situation in the country. We welcomed the historic co-sponsorship by Sri Lanka of a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council on 1 October 2015 committing it to reconciliation, accountability and the protection of human rights. We have been encouraged by the early progress Sri Lanka has made in delivering on these commitments. This includes starting public consultations on reconciliation mechanisms and constitutional reform, the return of some military occupied land and the release on bail of some long-term Tamil detainees held under anti-terrorism legislation.

While there has been progress, we recognise that there is still much to be done and Sri Lanka remains listed as a Human Rights Priority Country in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s latest Human Rights and Democracy Report published in April. We remain committed to supporting and encouraging the Sri Lankan government to deliver fully against its commitments.