• Date set for Sri Lankan issue to be discussed at UNHRC
• OHCHR delegation holds talks in Sri Lanka

 By Easwaran Rutnam Sri Lanka is to come under pressure at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva this month, with the Council confirming the date when Sri Lanka’s human rights record will be discussed. The agenda for the upcoming UNHRC session in Geneva has Sri Lanka listed under Item No. 2 on 27 February. The Council will meet from 24 February-20 March 2020 for its 43rd Session in Geneva during which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will give an update on Sri Lanka. The High Commissioner has been listed to deliver the update on 27 February after which council members will have time to make statements. In its Resolution 30/1, the UNHRC requested the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to continue to assess progress on the implementation of its recommendations and other relevant processes related to reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka. In its Resolution 40/1, the Council also requested the OHCHR to present a written update to the Council at its 43rd Session. As a result, the Council said that it would consider the written update of the OHCHR on 27 February. The High Commissioner is expected to note her concerns in the update over Sri Lanka’s failure to fully implement the recommendations in the resolution. Some countries are expected to back the High Commissioner’s concerns on Sri Lanka. International human rights groups and NGOs will also seek pressure on the new Sri Lankan Government to take the reconciliation process forward. Last week, Amnesty International, one of the international human rights groups active on the Sri Lankan issue, released a report where it noted impunity on the crimes allegedly committed during the war, failure to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), and failure to give families of the missing answers. Some politicians from the North are also expected to travel to Geneva to push the Council to ensure Sri Lanka does not withdraw from its commitments. The current Government has said that it will look to seek support to withdraw from the resolution on Sri Lanka co-sponsored by the former Government. Meanwhile, a delegation from the OHCHR met the Minister for Human Rights and Justice on Friday and discussed a range of issues. The delegation led by OHCHR Chief of the Rule of Law, Equality, and Non-Discrimination Branch Mona Rishmawi had talks with Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and obtained an assessment of Sri Lanka’s way forward under the new Government. The Justice Ministry said that the delegation had focused on the legal system in Sri Lanka and use of social media to promote hate among communities. Minister de Silva had noted at the meeting that new legislation is being looked at to curb promoting hate through social media – especially Facebook. He even sought technical assistance from the OHCHR to formulate laws to curb hate speech on social media. More raise concerns Separately, the Council will also hear from independent experts who will make comments on Sri Lanka, including the independent expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of states on the full enjoyment of human rights, particularly economic, social, and cultural rights. In a report already submitted to the Council and seen by The Sunday Morning, the independent expert on the effects of foreign debt notes that in Sri Lanka, practices such as collectors going to women’s houses where they stayed for hours to be paid have been reported, in addition to women being exposed to psychological and physical violence by collectors. The expert noted that during a country visit to Sri Lanka, he learnt about the number, frequency, and seriousness of lender abuse affecting women in particular. He recommended that the Government, inter alia, extend the current legislation covering microfinance licenses to ensure that all lending institutions were regulated and that usurious microcredits were voided (or voidable), ensure that those in need benefited from debt relief programmes, and provide victims with the right to request the return of money as compensation. The Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief is also scheduled to submit a report on Sri Lanka.