September 01, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka has told the United Nations Human Rights Council that its proposed judicial reforms, including plans to lengthen the period judges can remain in service, are aimed at tackling persistent weaknesses in the country’s justice system.
Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath said the Government had responded in detail after questions were raised in Geneva over the proposed changes. He was speaking during a televised interview.
Herath said the concerns included the proposal to give judges an additional two years of service. He maintained that the Government had provided international human rights officials with an explanation of the rationale behind the measure and how it fits into the wider programme of judicial reform.
The Minister pointed out that delays in the Sri Lankan courts have been a longstanding concern rather than a new development. He referred to a visit by a UN Special Rapporteur in 2016, when the official spent six days in the country examining delays in legal proceedings and their consequences for people awaiting justice.
A number of recommendations emerged from that assessment, including expanding the country’s network of courts, improving the capacity of the Attorney General’s Department and speeding up the preparation of forensic and other analytical reports. Strengthening the judiciary through increased staffing and greater professional capacity was also identified as an area requiring attention.
Herath said the reforms now being advanced by the Government should be viewed against that broader background. In his view, extending judges’ service by two years forms part of an effort to make better use of experienced judicial personnel while easing pressure on an already burdened system.
He further argued that the Government’s response to the UN demonstrates that the measures under consideration are connected to recommendations made in previous assessments of Sri Lanka’s justice system.
The issue is likely to remain under scrutiny as Sri Lanka moves ahead with its judicial reform agenda, particularly as efforts to reduce case backlogs and improve access to justice continue to attract attention both domestically and internationally.
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