UN Rights Chief Volker Turk's Landmark Visit to Sri Lanka

Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, visits Sri Lanka, marking the first such visit in nearly a decade. During his stay, Turk engages with top government, opposition, and religious leaders, emphasizing accountability for past human rights violations and visiting key locations.

Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, arrived in Sri Lanka on Monday for a landmark visit, becoming the first UN rights chief to set foot in the island nation in nearly ten years.

The Austrian lawyer is on a three-day mission, as confirmed by the Foreign Ministry. His itinerary includes meetings with Sri Lanka's top leadership, including President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, and various opposition and religious leaders.

Turk is expected to visit Jaffna, Kandy, and Trincomalee. His visit preludes the upcoming UNHRC session in September, as the council continues to scrutinize both the Sri Lankan government's and LTTE's past human rights violations during the decades-long civil war that concluded in 2009.