The Sri Lankan government has responded to the UK’s imposition of sanctions on four individuals, including three former military chiefs.
Issuing a statement, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said that the government is engaged in the process of strengthening domestic mechanisms for accountability and reconciliation and that any past human rights violations will be addressed through domestic accountability mechanisms.
He made this known to the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick, today (26) while informing him of the government’s position on the UK’s imposition of sanctions on four individuals, including three former military chiefs.
The relevant statement further states,
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Overseas Employment and Tourism has drawn attention to the press release issued by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 24 March 2025 entitled “UK Sanctions in Relation to Human Rights Violations and Abuses During the Sri Lankan Civil War”.
As stated in the press release, the UK Government has imposed sanctions on four individuals, three of whom are former heads of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.
The press release also refers to ‘a pledge made during the election campaign to ensure that those responsible do not go unpunished’.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Overseas Employment and Tourism emphasises that these sanctions, which include the freezing of assets held by the individuals in the country and the ban on their entry into the country, are a unilateral measure taken by the UK Government. It is observed that such unilateral steps taken by countries do not provide any support to the domestic reconciliation process in Sri Lanka and only serve to further confuse the situation.”