Human Rights in Sri Lanka and the Relocation of the BBC Sinhala Service

That this House notes the recent Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office reports that the human rights environment in Sri Lanka worsened, with the continuation of surveillance and intimidation of activists and human rights defenders, the detention without charge of a high profile human rights lawyer, and a presidential pardon of the only member of the armed forces convicted of a wartime atrocity; further notes the withdrawal of the Government of Sri Lanka's support for UN Human Rights Council resolutions 30/1, 34/1, and 40/1 on post-conflict transitional justice, accountability and reconciliation, coupled with the Sri Lankan military forming task forces operating beyond parliamentary scrutiny and being given oversight of civilian functions, as a result of the delays to parliamentary elections without the reconvening of the Sri Lankan Parliament; believes now is not the time to be re-locating the BBC Sinhala service to India with the consequent loss of jobs in the UK as well as the experience, continuity and ability to report impartially on events and to hold the government and military of Sri Lanka to account for their actions; and therefore urges the BBC to reconsider its decision.