By 
Klaus M. Schmidt Flores
by Malinda Bandara from Pexels, 23 April 2023
The decision of the United Kingdom to impose sanctions on former Sri Lankan military officials involved in civil war atrocities raises scrutiny on international business’ establishment of human rights due diligence whilst operating within post-conflict Sri lanka.
For their involvement in war crimes during the nation’s prolonged civil war, on March, 21st 2025, top-ranked Sri Lankan military officials were imposed with targeted sanctions. Even as the international community continues to press for justice and victim compensation, concern is raised on the role of corporate actors operating in post-conflict Sri Lanka and their obligation to uphold human rights standards.
General Shavendra Silva and Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya have been sanctioned by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for their ‘command responsibility’ in the incidents of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings occurring in 2009 constituting serious breaches of international humanitarian law (Reuters, 2025). These sanctions remind companies and investors engaged in Sri Lanka’s agriculture, apparel, infrastructure, and tourism sectors that they should place significant importance on the systematic incorporation of human rights due diligence. Despite being separated from causal events, businesses are obligated by the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to monitor, identify, and halt any potential human rights infringements directly linked to their corporate operations (United Nations, 2011). Areas of particular concern are those involving contractors with military ties, land acquisition, and labour exploitation concerns. The relationship between private corporations and military-run operations have previously sparked the concern of civil society organisations over potential incidents of structural violence (Reuters, 2025). Following these concerns, non-governmental organisations are pleading for corporations to reevaluate any business relationships that could be potentially running on inadvertently endorsing those accountable for past or current acts of abuse, threatening to implement sanction and legal implications through the newly mandated European due diligence laws.
In Sri Lanka, despite national efforts striving for domestic accountability and transitional justice procedures, international pressure has incentivised reform. These internationally imposed sanctions represent a turning point in the operational procedures occurring within post-conflict Sri Lanka, as businesses operating within the territory are being encouraged to renew their responsibilities and to look further into their operational frameworks.
Sources and further readings
Reuters. (2025, March 24). UK sanctions former Sri Lankan commanders over civil war abuses.
United Nations. (2011). Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Office of the Higher Commissioner for Human Rights.
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