Friday Oct 10, 2025
Friday Oct 10, 2025
Wednesday, 8 October 2025 00:27 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) yesterday raised serious concerns over Sri Lanka’s limited progress in addressing thousands of unresolved disappearance cases, weak accountability mechanisms, and inadequate forensic capacity in investigating mass graves.
In its latest findings released after reviewing Sri Lanka’s implementation of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the Committee noted that the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) has traced only 23 individuals out of 16,966 registered cases. It said this reflects a “high level of impunity” and a lack of progress in investigating and prosecuting alleged enforced disappearances, including those that occurred during the armed conflict.
The Committee urged the Government to create a comprehensive and updated register of disappeared persons and to strengthen the OMP’s mandate to investigate and ensure accountability in all registered cases. It also called for the inclusion of war crimes and crimes against humanity within domestic legislation and the expedited establishment of an independent Office of the Public Prosecutor.
Expressing concern over the discovery of at least 17 mass graves across the country, the Committee said Sri Lanka’s limited forensic capacity and absence of centralised ante-mortem and post-mortem databases hinder proper investigation. It recommended developing a national genetic database and building forensic capacity across competent authorities to locate, identify, and safeguard human remains, ensuring their dignified return to families.
The Committee’s observations follow its latest session in Geneva, where Sri Lanka’s progress under the Convention was reviewed alongside other State parties.
