Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Sri Lanka

Tuesday 12 December 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

  • UK is working closely with international partners on ensuring accountability for human rights violations in Sri Lanka.
  • UK raised the need for progress on human rights, reconciliation, and accountability with the Sri Lankan President during a recent visit.
  • UK led a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council on Sri Lanka to address human rights concerns.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Anne McLaughlin SNP
Foreign Affairs
Context

The question addresses the failure of the UK government to ensure accountability for alleged human rights violators against the Tamil community, highlighting that evidence has been available but perpetrators remain at large.

Question

Whether his Department is taking diplomatic steps to help ensure that perpetrators of alleged human rights violations against the Tamil community in Sri Lanka are held to account. Many prominent Sri Lankans were credibly accused of war crimes against Tamils during the civil war, yet they are still at large while nearly 18,000 Tamils remain unaccounted for. Despite earlier assurances that evidence would be taken seriously, there seems to be no action.

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

The UK is working closely with international partners on this long-standing priority, including at the UN Human Rights Council, where the UK led resolution 51/1 on Sri Lanka. We all take these issues very seriously. I was in Sri Lanka just a few weeks ago and raised the need for progress on human rights, reconciliation and accountability during my visit.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not specify any concrete diplomatic steps or actions taken to ensure accountability.

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Q2 Anne McLaughlin SNP
Context

The question addresses the failure of the UK government to ensure accountability for alleged human rights violators against the Tamil community, highlighting that evidence has been available but perpetrators remain at large.

Question

Many prominent Sri Lankans were credibly accused of war crimes against the Tamil minority during the 30-year civil war. Despite this, they are still at large while nearly 18,000 Tamils went missing and are unaccounted for. How can Palestinians have faith if Tamils have had evidence sitting there for years without action?

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

We all take these issues very seriously. I was in Sri Lanka just a few weeks ago, and I was able to raise the need for progress on human rights, on reconciliation and indeed accountability with the President of Sri Lanka during my visit.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific actions or commitments regarding accountability.

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Q3 Elliot Colburn
Foreign Affairs
Context

The question is about the FCDO considering evidence for sanctioning individuals involved in human rights violations and passing this on to the UN Human Rights Council.

Question

As chair of the all-party parliamentary group for Tamils, may I ask my right hon. Friend the Minister to assure the House that the FCDO is actively considering the evidence for sanctioning those credibly accused of war crimes who are active participants in Sri Lankan high society and will pass this on to the UN Human Rights Council?

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

I commend my hon. Friend for his active and championing work as chair of the APPG. We absolutely recognise the concerns of the Sri Lankan public, victim groups about creation of a credible domestic accountability process. I raised these issues during my visit to Jaffna where I discussed human rights and justice with civil society members, Tamil representatives and the governor of Northern Province.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not confirm or deny if evidence for sanctions is being considered or passed on to the UN Human Rights Council.

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Q4 Catherine West Lab Hornsey and Friern Barnet
Foreign Affairs
Context

The question addresses the UK's support for Tamils' demands for justice, including potential actions against Sri Lankan officials.

Question

Sri Lanka is a key Commonwealth member and strategically vital. Warm relations are crucial but far too long, those accused of brutal crimes in the past, particularly against the Tamil minority, have escaped justice. Will the Minister outline steps being taken to support Tamils' calls for justice, including action against Sri Lankan Ministers if necessary? What support is there for Sri Lankan democracy and human rights?

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

The hon. Lady is absolutely right. We welcomed recent UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' written update on Sri Lanka, and issued statements emphasizing inclusive transitional justice and effective governance reforms to highlight arbitrary use of laws to suppress dissent. The UK led UNHRC resolution 51/1 providing mandate for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to report on Sri Lanka.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not outline specific steps being taken beyond statements and resolutions.

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