IV 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1493 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in support of the 
peaceful democratic and economic aspirations of the people of Sri Lanka. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 25, 2022 
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in 
support of the peaceful democratic and economic aspira-
tions of the people of Sri Lanka. 
Whereas, for more than 30 years, Sri Lanka was enveloped 
in a civil war, the root causes of which remain largely un-
resolved; 
Whereas more than 100,000 Sri Lankans died, were forcibly 
disappeared, or went missing during the ethnic conflict, 
most acutely during the final months of the war in 2009; 
Whereas, at the end of the visit by the United Nations Sec-
retary General in May 2009, the Sri Lankan Government 
leaders gave assurances on accountability, and the coun-
try’s leaders had an opportunity to create a sustainable 
peace, but failed to do so; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:55 Nov 25, 2022
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR1493.IH
HR1493
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 1493 IH 
Whereas the period following the war’s end contributed to Sri 
Lanka’s economic growth and development, but heavy 
militarization of the north and east Provinces continued 
and underlying structural problems remained; 
Whereas, in March 2015, the United Nations Human Rights 
Council adopted resolution HRC 30/1, with the concur-
rence of the Sri Lankan Government, laying out a transi-
tional justice process for accountability and reconcili-
ation, but successive governments failed to implement key 
aspects of the resolution, and in March 2020, the 
Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration withdrew its commit-
ments to implement the resolution; 
Whereas, on August 8, 2020, Human Rights Watch described 
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s rule in 2020 as ‘‘a cam-
paign of fear and intimidation against human rights ac-
tivists, journalists, lawyers, and others challenging gov-
ernment policy’’; 
Whereas, despite continued calls on the Government of Sri 
Lanka by the United States, India, and other friends of 
Sri Lanka to address longstanding issues of account-
ability and reconciliation related to the root causes of the 
country’s ethnic conflict, many of the underlying issues 
remain unaddressed, including impunity for human rights 
violations and alleged war crimes; 
Whereas Sri Lanka’s current economic crisis caused millions 
of Sri Lankan citizens to live in extremely dire condi-
tions, with severe shortages of medicine, food, and fuel; 
Whereas numerous factors contributed to Sri Lanka’s eco-
nomic crisis, including corruption, the government’s own 
financial mismanagement, the lack of postwar security 
sector reform, outsized expenditures on the military, com-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:55 Nov 25, 2022
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR1493.IH
HR1493
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 1493 IH 
mercial debt, expensive projects—sometimes paid for by 
unrealistically adverse termed debt funded by the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China, the April 2019 Easter bombings, 
and the global coronavirus pandemic; 
Whereas the United States Agency for International Develop-
ment announced more than $92,000,000 in economic and 
humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka since June 2022; 
Whereas the Government of India has provided more than 
$3,500,000,000 in lines of credit to the Government of 
Sri Lanka for food, medicine, and fuel and the Govern-
ments of Japan and Australia have provided urgent med-
icine, food, and health care assistance for the Sri Lankan 
people; 
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka failed to make its 
bond and loan payments in April 2022, resulting in the 
country’s first financial default in May 2022; 
Whereas tens of thousands of Sri Lankan citizens rallied in 
largely peaceful protests lasting more than 100 days and 
on July 9, 2022, the government responded with live fire 
and tear gas; 
Whereas the events of July 9, 2022, demonstrated that Presi-
dent Gotabaya Rajapaksa lost the confidence of the peo-
ple of Sri Lanka; 
Whereas, on July 20, 2022, following the resignation of 
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Parliament of Sri 
Lanka elected Ranil Wickremesinghe as President of Sri 
Lanka; 
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka has thus far failed to 
respond to public concerns, including the establishment of 
transparent investigations into credible allegations of cor-
ruption and human rights violations; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:55 Nov 25, 2022
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR1493.IH
HR1493
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 1493 IH 
Whereas the Sri Lankan Government continues to use heavy- 
handed instruments of the state to silence dissent and 
protest, and has implemented and used the country’s 
Prevention of Terrorism Act to target peaceful political 
opposition, detain indefinitely without charge, and harass 
minorities, activists, and journalists; 
Whereas the Sri Lankan Government continues to participate 
in and promote illegal land appropriation in traditional 
minority areas, including of Tamils and Muslims; 
Whereas the United States cosponsored United Nations 
Human Rights Council Resolution 46/1 (2021), which in-
cludes strengthening the capacity of the Office of the 
High Commissioner for Human Rights to collect, analyze, 
and preserve information and evidence for future ac-
countability processes for gross violations of human 
rights in Sri Lanka; 
Whereas United Nations High Commissioner for Human 
Rights, Michelle Bachelet, issued a report on February 
25, 2022, noting setbacks in efforts to hold individuals 
accountable for human rights violations in Sri Lanka and 
highlighting the need for ‘‘deeper institutional and secu-
rity sector reforms that will end impunity and prevent 
the recurrence of violations of the past’’; 
Whereas the September 2022 Office of the High Commis-
sioner for Human Rights Report on Sri Lanka stated, 
‘‘[f]or sustainable improvements to take place, however, 
it is vital to recognize and address the underlying factors 
which have contributed to the economic crisis, including 
embedded impunity for past and present human rights 
violations, economic crimes, and endemic corruption’’; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:55 Nov 25, 2022
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR1493.IH
HR1493
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 1493 IH 
Whereas President Wickremesinghe announced that Sri 
Lanka— 
(1) would restart bailout negotiations with the Inter-
national Monetary Fund (IMF) in August 2022; and 
(2) had reached an initial agreement with the IMF 
on September 1, 2022; and 
Whereas, under United Nations Human Rights Council Reso-
lution 51/1 (2022), the United Nations Human Rights 
Council extended and reinforced the Office of the High 
Commissioner for Human Rights’ mandate from United 
Nations Human Rights Council Resolution 46/1 (2021) 
for an additional 2 years: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the peaceful democratic and eco-
nomic aspirations of the people of Sri Lanka; 
(2) urges the Sri Lankan Government and se-
curity forces to respect the rights of Sri Lankans, 
particularly minority peoples, including to protest 
peacefully without fear of reproach; 
(3) 
urges 
Sri 
Lankan 
President 
Wickremesinghe to reach a consensus on major 
issues with opposition parties on behalf of all Sri 
Lankans, including Tamils, Indian-origin Tamils, 
Muslims, and other religious and ethnic minorities to 
address longstanding issues, including relating to 
human rights, disenfranchisement, accountability, 
and reconciliation, and work toward a political solu-
tion; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:55 Nov 25, 2022
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR1493.IH
HR1493
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB