UN torture prevention body to visit Sri Lanka this week

Monday, 1 April 2019 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture is set to carry out its first visit to Sri Lanka, from tomorrow to 12 April, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) announced Friday.

The UN torture prevention body’s visit aims to examine the treatment of people deprived of their liberty and the safeguards in place for their protection against torture and ill-treatment.

The four-member delegation will meet Government officials and hold discussions with relevant Ministries, as well as meetings with the Human Rights Commission and civil society organisations. Their talks in Colombo will focus on advising and assisting the Sri Lankan authorities regarding the measures they must take to be in compliance with the obligations contained in the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture.

The Subcommittee will be visiting places of deprivation of liberty and will hold discussions on Sri Lanka establishing an independent National Preventive Mechanism. The Optional Protocol, which Sri Lanka ratified in 2017, requires such a mechanism to be established with the authority and capacity to undertake preventive visits to any place where persons may be deprived of their liberty.

“During our visit, we will be exploring the steps Sri Lanka needs to take to effectively prevent torture and ill-treatment of people deprived of their liberty,” said Victor Zaharia, who will head the delegation. “We will also advise the authorities on the full implementation of their treaty obligations, including how they can best establish a national independent body to visit places of detention.”

The delegation will be composed of Head of Delegation Victor Zaharia (Republic of Moldova), Satyabhooshun Gupt Domah (Mauritius), Petros Michaelides (Cyprus), and June Lopez (Philippines).