one allegation related to cooperation with the Committee on Enforced Disappearances

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2025-120-001
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2025
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 7.87305399999999

Longitude: 80.7717969999999

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
Sri Lanka
From Region
UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
  • UN Treaty Bodies: CED
Type of record
Unnamed individual/group/organization
Gender
Gender unclear
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Individual's/organization's activity

relative of a disappeared person

Type of rights defended
  • Civil/political rights
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal
  1. Since March 2024, the Committee on Enforced Disappearances’ rapporteur on reprisals received one allegation related to cooperation with the Committee in the context of an urgent action request that had been closed after the disappeared person had been located in Sri Lanka. At the time of writing, the State party had not replied to the allegation. In view of the situation and the inability to further undertake follow -up on the case in the context of the Urgent Action procedure, the rapporteur on reprisals brought the case to the attention of the State party, expressing the Committee’s concern that the family’s submission to the Committee, along with the other activities they had undertaken to search for their loved one, may have contributed to the alleged acts of intimidation and reprisals, including by State officials.
Engagement with UN body
  • UN Treaty Bodies: CED
  • Other
Type of attempted engagement
  • UN raised case of person/organization
Dates of mentioned reprisals
March 2024
Location of mentioned reprisals
Sri Lanka
Reprisal information
  1. Since March 2024, the Committee on Enforced Disappearances’ rapporteur on reprisals received one allegation related to cooperation with the Committee in the context of an urgent action request that had been closed after the disappeared person had been located in Sri Lanka. At the time of writing, the State party had not replied to the allegation. In view of the situation and the inability to further undertake follow -up on the case in the context of the Urgent Action procedure, the rapporteur on reprisals brought the case to the attention of the State party, expressing the Committee’s concern that the family’s submission to the Committee, along with the other activities they had undertaken to search for their loved one, may have contributed to the alleged acts of intimidation and reprisals, including by State officials.
Types of reprisals suffered
  • Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
Alleged/likely perpetrators
State actors
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
No
Further case development
  1. The Committee requested the State party to adopt protection measures in favour of the alleged victims, ensuring differential approaches that take into account their specific needs.
Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
No