Key discussion held with UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances in Geneva

A key discussion has been held in Geneva with members of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) regarding cases of alleged enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka.

The high-level meeting took place amid ongoing sessions concerning enforced disappearances and the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The discussion was attended by Grazyna Baranowska, Chair and Rapporteur of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, members of the Working Group and representatives of the Secretariat of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Strengthening coordination concerning alleged enforced disappearance cases in Sri Lanka and improving engagement with international human rights mechanisms were among the key issues discussed.

The meeting also focused on the need for continued international engagement in addressing long-standing unresolved cases and exploring appropriate international mechanisms.

Representatives also raised concerns regarding the inability of domestic mechanisms to provide truth, justice and accountability to victims and families of the disappeared.

The activities and limitations of Sri Lanka’s Office on Missing Persons (OMP) were also discussed, with emphasis placed on the need for meaningful, victim-centred processes.

It was noted that Sri Lanka remains among the countries with a significant number of registered cases relating to enforced disappearances, highlighting the need for continued international attention to the issue.

Human rights activist Lakshmanan Sanjeev said the recent visit to Sri Lanka by Ana Lorena Delgadillo Pérez, a member and expert of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, provided an important opportunity for the Working Group to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of victims and their families.

Delgadillo Pérez also participated in the international conference “The Long Road to Justice” in Jaffna. Through meetings and academic engagements held in different parts of Sri Lanka, she gained further insight into long-standing concerns surrounding domestic accountability mechanisms and the need for approaches that genuinely place victims at the centre, Sanjeev said.

“Families of the disappeared have been seeking answers and justice for many years. Their peaceful protests and continued calls for truth and justice demonstrate the depth and persistence of their struggle to learn the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones,” Sanjeev said.

He further stressed the importance of ensuring opportunities for victims and their representatives to directly engage with UN treaty bodies, special procedures and other international human rights mechanisms.

Strengthening direct engagement between victims and international mechanisms could improve the documentation of individual cases, their continued monitoring and international coordination concerning unresolved cases of enforced disappearance, he added.

Representatives said the Geneva meeting marked an important step towards strengthening cooperation with the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and other international human rights mechanisms.

They further stressed that sustained international engagement, credible mechanisms and meaningful participation by victims and their families are essential to establishing truth, justice and accountability in relation to cases of enforced disappearance.