A/HRC/34/20 purpose in May 2016, and the drafting process involved government officials and civil society representatives. The plan was approved by Cabinet in January 2017, except for some key action points, including the decriminalization of same-sex acts. On 16 November 2016, the Ministry for Women and Child Affairs presented a national plan of action to address sexual and gender-based violence. The passing of the Right to Information Act on 24 June 2016 and the appointment of the members of the Right to Information Commission are indeed important developments. If properly implemented, these initiatives could have a positive impact on the situation of human rights in the country. 53. During the period under review, Sri Lanka ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (8 February 2016) and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (25 May 2016), and accepted the competence of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances under article 32. On 16 August 2016, Sri Lanka made a declaration in which the State recognized the competence of the Committee against Torture to consider individual communications. 54. Reports of harassment or surveillance of human rights defenders and victims of violations have continued, albeit to a lesser degree. In its report, the Consultation Task Force referred to instances of surveillance and intimidation by intelligence or security personnel during consultations it held in the North and the East, despite the steps taken to allay such concerns. The Task Force noted that this perceived “inability of the Government to rein in the security and intelligence machinery during the consultations is a grave concern.”16 On 1 October 2016, a prominent human rights defender was briefly detained and interrogated at Colombo airport by unspecified security services on his way to a human rights conference abroad. 55. Incidents of police abuse and excessive use of force also persist. For instance, on 20 October 2016, in Kulapiddy, Jaffna, two students died, reportedly shot by the police when they failed to stop at a roadblock. The incident, which was initially presented as a motorcycle accident, is under investigation. Five policemen have been arrested in connection with the incident and its apparent cover-up. In a separate incident, in Embilipitiya, on 6 January 2016, a group of policemen stormed a party, reportedly after an argument involving some of them. In the ensuing scuffle, a man died after falling through a window. One police officer was arrested on 2 February in connection with the incident. 56. The use of torture remains a serious concern. In its report submitted to the Committee against Torture, in November 2016, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka stated that complaints it had received illustrated the routine use of torture by the police throughout the country as a means of interrogation and investigation. The prevailing culture of impunity for perpetrating torture has undoubtedly contributed to this situation. 57. At the end of his visit in May 2016, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment also noted that torture was commonly used in regular criminal investigations.17 He observed that total impunity applied to both old and new cases. On 30 November 2016, the Committee against Torture also expressed its concern at allegations of the routine use of torture, and made recommendations on procedural changes with respect to arrests and detention (CAT/C/LKA/CO/5). It also expressed concern at the failure of the State to conduct institutional reform of the security sector. OHCHR received credible information from a well-known human rights organization according to which “white van” abductions, and 16 17 Final Report of the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms, para. 4.3. OHCHR, “Preliminary observations and recommendations of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, Mr. Juan E. Mendez* on the Official joint visit to Sri Lanka – 29 April to 7 May 2016”, 7 May 2016. 13