571 : Reconciliation in Sri Lanka: A Flawed Model?
Roshni Kapur
7 May 2018
The sectarian violence in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka, in March 2018 and the immediate
imposition of a nationwide state of emergency have signalled that a lasting and just peace
remains a distant prospect. Sri Lanka was once viewed as a possible peacebuilding success
story on the international front. However, the respective transitional justice framework
launched by the previous and current administrations has been largely unsuccessful.
This paper will identify the country’s primary stakeholders and their vested interests in the
reconciliation efforts. The current reconciliation model in Sri Lanka is a combination of
retributive and restorative justice. The paper will argue that the model needs to adopt a
complete restorative justice approach in order to achieve reconciliation and reach a peacebuilding
(durable peace without the recurrence of violence) stage