UK Parliament debates SL’s HR, economic situations…! 

The United Kingdom’s House of Commons on Wednesday discussed the human rights and economic situation in Sri Lanka with several Parliamentarians accusing Sri Lanka for continued violation of human rights in the country.

A Backbench Business Committee debate on the UK response to the human rights and economic situation in Sri Lanka also highlighted future UK assistance to Sri Lanka amidst the current economic crisis.

In response to statements made by MP, Leo Docherty, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) stated that “It is an economic crisis made worse by dreadful and long-term mismanagement, the economic fallout from the terrible 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, the covid pandemic and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary also said that stable and inclusive political settlement is an essential foundation for economic recovery. “As for what the British Government is doing about this, we believe that a stable and inclusive political settlement is an essential foundation for economic recovery and growth in the long term in Sri Lanka,” he said.

In response to some MPs proposals to impose conditions on IMF assistance, Parliamentary Under-Secretary Docherty said that within its governance structure, the IMF only has the ability to impose conditionality linked to economic policy, not political or human rights-linked conditionality. “But of course we want human rights progress to advance in tandem with economic progress, and we will use other mechanisms to hold the Sri Lankans to account and progress human rights in that regard,” he said.

He also said that the British government will continue to call on Sri Lanka to make progress on human rights and accountability. He also said that the people of Sri Lanka are experiencing an unprecedented economic crisis and “they continue to face violations of human rights and barriers to justice”.

Concluding the debate a Conservative MP Elliot Colburn has urged the British Government to revisit their strategies for promoting human rights on the island of Sri Lanka. “Many Tamils will feel that we have been here before, and we really need to see bilateral action by the UK to secure the action, the peace, the accountability and the justice that Tamils have been waiting for,” he stated.