Measures taken/current situation Situation during the visit A/HRC/33/51/Ad d.2 Level of implementation and observations (to be completed by the WGEID) No substantial reform to the Attorney General’s Department has been initiated in the recent past to ensure the independence of the Department. On the contrary, the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice reported that there have been allegations of the Attorney General attempting to obstruct investigations (by blocking the arrest of an army commander) in the disappearance case of Journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda.48 ITJP Please refer to the IIGEP report on conflict of interest in the Attorney General’s role. http://www.itjpsl.com/assets/Stop-Torture-Annexes-III.pdf Government – September 2019 The Attorney General’s Department constitutes an integral part of Sri Lanka’s criminal justice process, and is empowered by the Constitution in the conduct of this independent mandate. The Government of Sri Lanka strongly refutes conjectured assertions on the lack of independence in the work of the Attorney General’s Department. Truth 79. The Working Group recommends that the Office of Missing Persons: (a) Adopt a victim-centred approach; 48 Paragraphs 19, 34-36, 42-44 Government In August 2016, the GoSL enacted The Office on Missing Persons Act No 14 of 2016, establishing a permanent office by statute (the act can be accessed at http://documents.gov.lk/files/act/2016/8/14-2016_E.pdf. The establishment of the Office represents an acknowledgment of the widespread disappearances that occurred over four decades in multiple contexts in Sri Lanka. The OMP has the mandate to trace persons who are missing in connection with armed conflict, political unrest, civil disturbances or as a result of enforced disappearances; to protect the rights and interest of missing persons and their relatives; to identify avenues of redress; to collate data related to missing persons; and to make recommendations to address the incidence of disappearances. The Working Group welcomes information according to which the Chair of the OMP has stated the body is committed to a victim-centred approach and that six public meetings have been held. It notes that some families remain sceptical of the Office and encourages further efforts to reach out to all affected families including those living abroad. Sri Lanka Campaign For Peace and Justice, A narrowing window: worrying prospects for justice and lasting peace in Sri Lanka, March 2018, Available at https://www.srilankacampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/A-Narrowing-Window-Sri-Lanka-Campaign-March-2018-Compressed.pdf A/HRC/42/40/Add.1 40 Recommendations A/HRC/33/51/Add.2