Widespread impunity major rights problem in Lanka: US

Widespread impunity continued last year in Sri Lanka for the crimes committed during the armed conflict with the LTTE and following the end of the civil war, a new report released by the US State Department has said.
The US State Department's 2015 Sri Lankan Human Rights report, which was released yesterday, details several reported violations from the Tamil-dominated North-East.
"The major human rights problems reported during the year included harassment of civil society activists, journalists, and persons viewed as sympathisers of the banned terrorist group the LTTE as well as arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence committed by police and security forces."

"Widespread impunity continued in Sri Lanka last year for the crimes committed during the armed conflict and other crimes committed following the end of the conflict, particularly for cases of torture, sexual violence, corruption, and human rights abuses," the report said.
Concerning theinternally displaced due to the armed conflict,the report said while they had full freedom of movement, most were unable to return to their lands of origin due to uncleared land mines; restrictions designating their home areas as part of high security zone s or exclusive economic zones; lack of opportunities to earn a livelihood; inability to access basic public services.

The serious human rights problems included severe prison overcrowding and lack of due process.

Neglect of the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) remained a problem, as was physical and sexual abuse of women and children and trafficking in persons.
Discrimination against persons based on sexual orientation continued.
Limits on workers' rights and child labour also remained problems, the report adds.
The government arrested and detained a number of military, police, and other officials implicated in old and new cases that included the killing of parliamentarians and the abduction and suspected killings of journalists and private citizens, it said.
Unlike in the previous year, there were no substantiated reports of extrajudicial killings, although the use of force against civilians by government officials, while increasingly rare, remained a problem.

The government arrested several members of the armed services and political class suspected in unsolved cases, some more than a decade old, the report adds.