Tamil Makkal Thesai Kootani (TMTK) leader C V Wigneswaran criticised the draft United Nations Human Rights Council resolution by the Core Group on Sri Lanka as "disappointing and insufficent".

Imaad Zuberi, a Pakistani-American businessman was jailed for 12 years after pleading guilty to charges which include the obstruction of a federal investigation into a Trump inaugural committee donation, falsifying records and a failure to disclose and pay tax on US$5.65 million received from the Sri Lankan government to lobby in Washington to improve its image.

Sri Lanka has already made the decision to reject any resolution based on the UN Human Rights Chief's damning report that may be submitted at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) 46th session says Sri Lanka's Co-Cabinet Spokesperson and Energy Minister Udamma Gammanpila.

The UK government will present a new resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), to maintain focus on reconciliation and accountability, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said today.

In his statement to the Council on its opening session, Raab said that the UK government would continue to lead action at the UNHRC on Syria, South Sudan, "and on Sri Lanka, where we will present a new resolution to maintain the focus on reconciliation and on accountability."

Black balloons were flown over the Sri Lankan Embassy in London this morning, as the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session begins in Geneva today. 

There is no evidence to support claims by some western politicians that "genocide" was committed against the Uygur community in China's Xinjiang, said Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage in a recent interview with Xinhua. #GLOBALink pic.twitter.com/o4N2LpXlHh

A Tamil youth from Vadamaradchi was severely beaten by Sri Lankan intelligence officers on Friday evening.

The youth was stopped by Sri Lankan intelligence officers near his home in Vettrilaikeni while returning from work yesterday evening. The officers asked him where he had come from and where he was going, to which the youth asked why he had to explain his presence on a public road.

(Photo of  Kilinochchi protest 20 February 2021)

Writing in Just Security, Tasha Manoranjan, Executive Director of People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL), highlights that a failure to address impunity in Sri Lanka has “very real consequences, even beyond the preservation of international rule of law”.

Following claims by Sri Lanka’s Energy Minister, Udaya Gammanpila, that 99 oil tanks loaned to the Indian Oil Corporation in 2003 had been withdrawn, India’s High Commission has denied these claims maintaining that the bilateral understanding on jointly developing and operating the tank farm stood.

Writing in the Hindu, Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asian Director at Human Rights Watch, calls upon India to fulfil its obligations and support a strong resolution at the next UN Human Rights Council session which aims to “reduce the growing risk of future atrocities” in Sri Lanka.