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PREVENTION OF TORTURE UN SUB COMMITTEE TO SRI LANKA

UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture to visit Sri Lanka

The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) will undertake its second visit to Sri Lanka from June 15 – 24 June 2026.The SPT conducted its first visit to Sri Lanka in April 2019, following the country’s accession to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) in December 2017. Upon accession, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) was designated as the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) under OPCAT by the Government of Sri Lanka.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism in Sri Lanka, the delegation will hold meetings at Ministerial level, and engage with senior officials of relevant Government Ministries, Departments and institutions during their visit and will also meet representatives of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and members of civil society.

The statement further notes that the Government of Sri Lanka will engage with the Subcommittee in an open, constructive, and transparent manner, consistent with its policy of continued engagement with the United Nations, and in fulfilment of its Treaty Body obligations undertaken voluntarily and enshrined in relevant international instruments, in accordance with the Constitution

The delegation will comprise Ms. Aisha Shujune Muhammad (Maldives) (Head of delegation); Mr. Jakub Julian Czepek (Poland); Ms. Anica Tomsic (Croatia); and Mr. Nika Kvaratskhelia (Georgia). They will be accompanied by officials of the SPT Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland.The visit of SPT will be carried out in accordance with their mandate, the statement further notes.It is 07 years since the SPT last made a visit to Sri Lanka.In a statement, head of the SPT delegation, Aisha Shujune Muhammad has said, “Since our last visit in 2019, the Government of Sri Lanka has designated its national preventive mechanism, which is an important step in torture prevention.”“In addition to undertaking preventive visits, our upcoming mission aims to evaluate the functioning of the mechanism and to assess how the authorities have implemented our recommendations over the past years,” she added.

We especially look forward to working with the Sri Lankan preventive mechanism and to conduct joint visits as part of our collaborative efforts to strengthen the prevention of torture and ill-treatment,” she stated.Sri Lanka acceded to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) in 2017.Under its mandate, the SPT can visit any States Party to the Optional Protocol and conduct unannounced visits to places where people are or may be deprived of their liberty. During each visit, the SPT delegates meet with Government officials, members of the national preventive mechanism, civil society representatives, and other UN agencies.

At the conclusion of the visit, the SPT will present its confidential preliminary observations to the Government of Sri Lanka and the national preventive mechanism, in accordance with Article 16 of OPCAT. The delegation will subsequently prepare a confidential report for the State Party containing its findings and recommendations. In line with the OPCAT framework, the report will remain confidential unless and until the Sri Lankan authorities request it be made public. To date, the report issued following the SPT’s 2019 visit to Sri Lanka has not been made public.