The report on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, which is due to be presented at the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, scheduled to begin on September 7, has now been made public.
In the report, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk calls for a time limit to be placed on the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), followed by its speedy repeal and replacement with a new law. He points to arbitrary arrests and the prolonged detention of people without charges being filed under the Act.
The report recalls that the current government came to power promising major changes, including constitutional reforms, the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the release of political prisoners and greater accountability.
However, High Commissioner Volker Türk states that the continued use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act by the government has resulted in arbitrary arrests and the prolonged detention of people without charges being filed.
The report says that 18 deaths occurred in custody or detention during 2025, while three such deaths were reported up to April 2026. It also records 602 cases of torture and ill-treatment in 2025 and another 138 cases up to April 2026.
Although there has been progress in several cases, including those related to the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, the High Commissioner stresses that there has still been no lasting accountability for serious human rights violations committed during the war.
The report also states that state-level surveillance, intimidation and reprisals against civil society activists and journalists are being carried out by military and civilian intelligence officers, including officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID).
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recommends imposing a time limit on the Prevention of Terrorism Act, followed by its speedy repeal and replacement with a new law.
The report also recommends releasing land in the Northern and Eastern provinces currently under military control, stopping further land acquisitions and releasing prisoners who have been held for long periods under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
In addition, the recommendations include amending or repealing the Online Safety Act, which restricts freedom of expression, the ICCPR Act, and the proposed NGO Act.
The UN High Commissioner also recommends reforms to prevent overcrowding and violence in prisons, as well as providing health-based rehabilitation for people addicted to drugs instead of imprisoning them