Human Rights Watch (HRW) Statement UN Human Rights Council General Debate

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Made a Strong Statement on Sri Lanka on March 5th 2012 at the UN Human Rights Council General Debate

Written by: Human Rights Advocacy Council of CTYA

The High Commissioner at the UN Human Rights Conference noted that the report of the Sri Lanka Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission falls short of the comprehensive accountability process recommended by the Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts and encouraged the Council to consider the matter.

During the UN Human Rights Council General Debate, Human Rights Watch (HRW) made a solid statement stating that Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, recited a laundry list of steps the government of Sri Lanka says it is taking to address accountability and reconciliation, during the 19th session of the HRC on February 27th 1. However, what Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe had failed to mention that many of these measures were set up in haste on the eve of a possible resolution on Sri Lanka at the Council 1. Therefore these actions are nothing more than gestures intended to avoid international action to promote accountability in the country 1. HRW stated that the recently announced army court of inquiry had its members chosen by Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya, head of security forces in the conflict’s main battle zone. An inquiry appointed by the commander who oversaw and was a colleague of senior officers who might themselves have been implicated in serious abuses cannot possibly by expected to be an independent and impartial finder of fact, stated an HRW representative 1.

Human Rights Watched pointed out that the Sri Lankan Government has a long history of failed promises to provide accountability for serious human rights abuses 1. Instead of investigating credible claims, the Government has consistently rejected them out of hand and questioned the motives of those who make them, whether it is the UN Secretary General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, concerned governments, the media, or human rights organizations 1.There is little reason to believe that these most recent government gestures will be any more meaningful than previous ones 1.

On December 9, 2011, two political activists Lalith Weeraraj and Kugan Murugunandan, were abducted in Jaffna while preparing to participate in Human Rights Day celebrations . Ramasamy Prabhaharan, a complainant in a fundamental rights case, was abducted February 11, 2012 right before his case against police was to be heard. The Sri Lankan government claims of development on human rights, however HRW notes it flies in the face of realities on the ground 1. In September 2011 Sunanda Deshapriya was criticized for his attendance at a meeting during the HRC sessions in Geneva, which prevented several Sri Lankan human rights groups and victims from attending out of fear.

Human Rights Watch documented the torture of many ethnic Tamil asylum seekers who had been returned to Sri Lanka. HRW has information that Tamil communities in Jaffna and elsewhere were made to participate in the government staged protests over the possible HRC resolution. HRW believes that real progress can only come through independence.

  1. http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/2012/03/hrw-item-2-thematic-reports-15th-meeting-19th-session-human-rights-council.html

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