Sri Lanka is party to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, recognizing the competence of the Committee against Torture to receive and consider individual complaints since August 2016, and adopted the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) in January 2018. [...] Specific to the crime of torture, in the 26 years of the CAT Act, 47 incidents of torture were prosecuted, leading to convictions in a mere 9 instances, of which 6 are now under appeal.1 In comparison with complaints reported to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL),2 roughly over 99% of the complaints lodged are not prosecuted and less than 0.2% result in convictions.3 Partly responsib. [...] The method included a review of the legal framework, a literature review of reports on torture in Sri Lanka covering the past ten years, twenty key informant interviews with psychologists, medical professionals, lawyers, researchers and activists, and three case studies of the experiences of torture survivors and their families. [...] Threat, Harassment and Coercion of Survivors: Survivors experience further violence, threats to physical safety of family members and homes, and loss of livelihood and financial security. [...] It is recommended that the State: Adopt a State Resourced Multi-Sectoral Programme for the recovery and protection of survivors of torture and their families by the Victim and Witness Protection Authority of Sri Lanka.
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- Published in
- Sri Lanka
