On Thursday at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) 43^rd session, several countries reacted to Sri Lanka’s withdrawal of co-sponsorship from council resolutions on promoting accountability, reconciliation and human rights on the island.

Most countries expressed disappointment and concern at Sri Lanka’s decision.

A Tamil woman who has been protesting for more than three years, demanding information on her forcibly disappeared grandson, passed away on Wednesday.

A group of Tamil torture survivor, who suffered rights violations at the hands of Sri Lankan security forces, wrote to the UN human rights chief earlier this week, criticising her failure to acknowledge ongoing torture on the island.

Your report this week… caused us great hurt and anguish,” said the letter. “You erased us from the record.”

Sri Lanka’s foreign minister spoke out against member states who had expressed disappointment at Colombo’s withdrawal from a UN resolution this morning, as he launched a staunch defence of the Sri Lankan army chief who was recently subjected to sanctions by the United States.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed her “regret” at the Sri Lankan government’s announcementof officially withdrawing co-sponsorship of a resolution and called on the Human Rights Council to “to remain alert to this situation in terms of prevention and to explore all possible avenues for advancing accountability”.

Sri Lanka’s foreign minister has officially announced the country’s decision to withdraw from co-sponsorship of the UN Human Rights Council resolutions ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’.

The paramilitary leader Pillayan who is in detention over the 2005 assassination of TNA MP Joseph Pararajasingham has had his remand extended by the Batticaloa High Court.

Tamil journalist Puniyamoorthy Sathiyamoorthy, who was killed by Sri Lankan army shelling in the ‘No Fire Zone’ 11 years ago, was commemorated in Batticaloa this week.

Sri Lanka’s defence secretary lashed out at Tamil politicians this week, as he criticised demands for “devolution of power” and offered military training to Zambia.

Sri Lanka’s former foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera claimed his regime saved current prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa from the “electric chair” and “saved” Sri Lankan soldiers from international prosecution, as he addressed parliament last week.

News First reported Samaraweera telling parliament that the former regime’s decision to co-sponsor a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council “saved Mahinda Rajapaksa from the electric chair”.

Economy Next reported that the former foreign minister added co-sponsorship “stopped international investigations against the brave soldiers who fought the war and their leaders”.

Sri Lankan security forces have released 41 Tamil youths without any charges, after they were arrested during a raid on a hotel in Maruthanarmadam in Jaffna on Monday evening.

A Sri Lankan army officer confirmed that the raid was carried out yesterday evening, with armed Special Task Force (STF) officers, following a tip off that security forces had received.

A former Sri Lankan navy commander has been re-issued court summons for the fourth time in connection with the abduction and murder of 11, mostly Tamil, youths from Colombo between 2008 and 2009.

Sri Lankan security forces launched a raid on a hotel in Maruthanarmadam in Jaffna, where they reportedly arrested at least forty-one Tamil youth.

The arrested Tamils have since been taken to Chunnakam police station for further questioning.

Sri Lanka’s diplomat in Geneva met with the president of the UN Human Rights Council on Friday, where Colombo formally informed her of its intention to withdraw its co-sponsorship of a resolution that mandated a hybrid accountability mechanism to prosecute those accused of committing mass atrocities.