Thank you for inviting me to speak tonight. Last year, you also invited me to speak in early April, and I described the long relationship between the United States and the people of Sri Lanka, as well as the broad spectrum of activities and engagements that characterize our relationship. None of that has changed.
I also spoke to you last April about U.S. concerns regarding the lack of reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka, ongoing human rights issues in the north and east, and attacks against journalists and religious minorities.
Unfortunately, those concerns also remain unchanged.
The United States remains firmly committed to working with the people of Sri Lanka to build a future in which all of Sri Lanka’s citizens can achieve their aspirations. At the 25th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the international community addressed urgent human rights issues throughout