COLOMBO: The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Thursday unanimously gave Sri Lanka two years’ extension to implement the September 2015 resolution on ethnic reconciliation and alleged war crimes.

As per the new timetable, the High Commissioner for Human Rights would give a written update to the council at its 37th session in March 2018, and a comprehensive report at the 40th session in March 2019.

A significant aspect of Resol­ution 30/1 is that it called for the establishment of a judicial mechanism having foreign and Sri Lankan judges.

Although Sri Lanka co-sponsored the 2015 resolution and Thursday’s follow up, it has not agreed to have a hybrid court with foreign judges.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2017