Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Sri Lankan counterparts on human rights in Sri Lanka.

We regularly raise human rights with the Government of Sri Lanka. The British High Commission in Colombo was able to do so most recently with senior representatives of the Sri Lankan government in February. The FCDO Permanent Under Secretary, Sir Philip Barton, spoke to Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Ali Sabry, during a visit to Sri Lanka on 17 January. He emphasised the UK would support human rights reform and encouraged efforts to take forward reconciliation.

Additionally, we also make clear our concerns in statements to the UN Human Rights Council, including most recently on 7 March alongside other members of the Sri Lanka Core Group.