UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet says her office is closely monitoring Sri Lanka’s recent emergency regulations, which could further expand the military’s role in civilian affairs.
Sri Lanka has taken this step on August 30 to ensure food security and price control in the midst of the country’s severe recession, she said while releasing her updated annual report on Sri Lanka at the 48th Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, which began today.
Victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings and religious leaders continue to call for truth and justice and for a full report on the circumstances that led to those attacks.
She also said that the recent presidential pardon for former parliamentarian Duminda Silva, who was convicted of killing a politician in 2011, risks undermining trust in law and order.
“Lawyer Hijaz Hezbollah has been detained for 16 months without credible evidence. Also, Ahnaf Jazeem, a teacher and poet, has been detained since May 2020 without charge. I urge you to immediately suspend the use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and to set a clear timeline for its detailed review or repeal.” She said.