Norway's Permanent Representative to UN, Ambassador Tine Mørch Smith, today urged Sri Lanka to fully engage with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and to implement the recommendations of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report.
Delivering a speech on the High Commissioner report on Sri Lanka at the 46th Regular Session Human Rights Council, she said Norway welcome the Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Sri Lanka and share the concerns raised.
"Since 2015, Sri Lanka have taken important steps in strengthening democratic institutions but recent negative developments threaten to undermine the gains achieved. Progress in transitional justice, accountability and reconciliation is lacking and has in some cases been reversed.
"The country's minorities are increasingly marginalized. Sustainable development will only be achieved on the basis of human rights and through an inclusive process, where impunity, for past gross violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, is addressed. including through effective and independent institutions. of particular concern is the shrinking space for civil society.
"We urge Sri Lanka to review the PTA to ensure its compliance with Sri Lanka's international human rights and humanitarian law obligations and to end all forms of surveillance and harassment of human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers and victims," she said.