Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Sri Lanka: Alleged War Crimes

Tuesday 18 July 2023 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Foreign Secretary met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry on 14 July to discuss Sri Lanka's human rights initiatives.
  • We continue to urge the Sri Lankan Government to make meaningful progress on human rights, justice, and accountability.
  • The UK encourages the Sri Lankan Government to create an environment for meaningful reconciliation and recognition of all parties.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Theresa Villiers Con
Foreign Affairs
Context

Sri Lankan Government is facing allegations of war crimes and human rights abuses. Resolution 51/1 on Sri Lanka was made at the UN Human Rights Council by UK and its partners.

Question

If he will take steps with his Sri Lankan counterpart to ensure accountability for alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka. The questioner seeks clarity on actions taken or planned to address these serious allegations and ensure justice is served.

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

The Foreign Secretary met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry on 14 July when they discussed Sri Lanka's human rights initiatives. We will continue to urge the Sri Lankan Government to make meaningful progress on human rights, justice and accountability. That includes at the UN Human Rights Council where the UK and our partners made resolution 51/1 on Sri Lanka in October last year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask for concrete steps towards ensuring accountability was not directly addressed, instead the answer provided general encouragement without specifying actions or commitments.

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Q2 Theresa Villiers Con
Foreign Affairs
Context

Sri Lankan Government faces concerns regarding the establishment of a South Africa-style truth and reconciliation commission which could lead to impunity for war criminals.

Question

Will the Minister appeal to the Sri Lankan Government to ensure that the possible establishment of a South Africa-style truth and reconciliation commission does not mean that those responsible for war crimes in Sri Lanka will not be brought to justice? The questioner wants assurance that such a commission would not undermine accountability efforts.

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

We recognise the concerns from some members of the Sri Lankan public and victims groups about the creation of a credible domestic accountability process, given the history of impunity and unfulfilled commitments. We encourage the Sri Lankan Government to create an environment for meaningful reconciliation by addressing those long-standing and emerging concerns.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask for appealing to prevent impunity was not directly addressed; instead, the answer provided encouragement without concrete assurances.

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Q3 Margaret Ferrier SNP
Context

Human Rights Watch reports that Tamil families are subject to intimidation and banning orders when attempting to memorialize those who died during Sri Lanka's civil war.

Question

Alongside the Minister's Sri Lankan counterparts, what steps is she taking to promote free expression in Sri Lanka? Human Rights Watch has highlighted issues with intimidation and banning orders against Tamil families commemorating the dead from the civil war. The questioner seeks specifics on actions taken to address these concerns.

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

As I said, we all understand and see that long history of impunity and broken commitments. We will continue to encourage the Sri Lankan Government to create that climate of recognition for all parties and communities, making sure that no one is left out of that process.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about promoting free expression was not directly addressed; instead, a general encouragement towards inclusivity was provided without concrete actions or commitments.

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Q4 David Lammy Lab Tottenham
Foreign Affairs
Context

Sri Lankan Government faces allegations of accountability evasion and delays, with the FCDO human rights and democracy report identifying Sri Lanka as a priority for such issues.

Question

Will the Minister say when the UK will sanction those individuals responsible for the worst human rights abuses in that conflict? The questioner points to ongoing impunity and seeks clarity on timing of sanctions against perpetrators identified by the FCDO report.

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

We will continue to urge the Sri Lankan Government to uphold their constitutional and democratic processes. Those concerns were made clear in statements to the UN Human Rights Council most recently on 20 June. Imposing sanctions is one response among other diplomatic tools to tackle serious human rights violations and abuses, but it would not be appropriate for me to speculate about future designations because that could reduce the impact.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask regarding timing of sanctions was avoided; instead, a general statement on diplomatic approaches without concrete commitments was given.

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