Government Under Pressure On Human Rights Issue
Sunday, June 26, 2016
The government is under pressure as the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Tamil Diaspora demanded last week that the government agree to have foreign judges in the domestic accountability process.
A side event at the UN Human Rights Council building in Geneva last week saw civil society and Diaspora groups also pushing for international participation in the domestic accountability process.
Organised by the International Peace Bureau in Geneva, the speakers at the event included President of Inter-Faith International, Geneva, Dr. Charles Graves, academic, human rights activist and Director of international programme – TCHR, UK, Deirdre McConnell, human rights activist Nimalka Fernando and S. V. Kirupaharan, founder General Secretary of the Tamil Centre for Human Rights in France.
Kirupaharan told The Sunday Leader that the side event was well attended and well accepted by those who attended it.
He said that in her speech Nimalka Fernando agreed that the accountability process was going at a slow pace in Sri Lanka.
“The international community must put pressure on Sri Lanka to fully implement the Resolution adopted on Sri Lanka at the Council last year,” Kirupaharan said.
The side event took place as the UN Human Rights Council was meeting for its 32nd session. An oral update on Sri Lanka will be presented to the council this week.
Meanwhile a government delegation is to brief members of the UNHRC ahead of the presentation of the oral update on Sri Lanka.
Kirupaharan said the briefing by the Sri Lankan delegation is expected to take place tomorrow by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera.
Meanwhile a leading Diaspora group, the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) appealed to the International Community to remain fully engaged with Sri Lanka to ensure that all aspects of the UNHRC resolution A/HRC/30/1 are faithfully implemented.
The Diaspora group said that the pursuit of truth, justice for victims and accountability are essential elements of the healing process in post-conflict societies that have suffered systematic violations of human rights. The adoption of a consensus resolution last year at the UNHRC – which recognised terrible crimes committed by both parties during the armed conflict – was a turning point for human rights in Sri Lanka.
Although far from perfect, GTF said it endorsed the Guiding Principles of the resolution co-sponsored by the Sri Lankan Government, and consistently welcomed the progressive changes implemented in Sri Lanka during the last 18 months.
“These included significant improvements in democratisation, the rule of law and increased freedoms experienced by most citizens. From a Tamil perspective, we welcome the releasing of some prisoners and lands, and the less triumphalist approach adopted during the end of war anniversary on May 18th. We also welcome the much improved cooperation with UN agencies on human rights mechanisms, and the initiatives taken towards setting up the ‘Office of the Missing Persons’ – though there is much to be desired on the pre-consultations carried out. Like many others, we are keenly watching the developments regarding constitutional reforms, having submitted our own proposal to the consultative committee,” GTF said.
However, GTF says it is deeply concerned about the lack of progress on the many issues affecting Tamils in the North and East as reflected in the resolution – such as the release of hundreds of detainees held under the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (the Act itself has not been repealed despite repeated promises by the government), the return of land held by the military (large swathes of land is yet to be returned to rightful owners), investigations into the tens of thousands of forcibly disappeared people, and the removal of the military from civilian affairs.
GTF also noted that overpowering militarisation and its pervasive influence in civilian affairs is severely impeding full normalisation in the North and East, and the Government has yet to come up with a credible plan for the demilitarisation of the region.Further, the UNHRC resolution calls for the inclusion of “Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defence lawyers and authorised prosecutors and investigators” in a Sri Lankan judicial mechanism.
“This aspect of the resolution – a negotiated and compromised clause – is crucial, as Sri Lanka has time and time again shown it is both unwilling and unable to investigate allegations of war crimes against its own forces or hold perpetrators of grave abuses to account. It appears the government is now trying to back away from this commitment. Given the history of failures of Government Commissions and judicial processes, international participation as specified in the resolution is a must to guarantee the credibility and effectiveness of the Special Court. GTF therefore calls upon the Council Members and the High Commissioner of the UNHRC to urge the Sri Lankan government not to renege on this all important commitment to the UN,” GTF said.
GTF is also disappointed at the Government’s insufficient effort in embracing the critically important transitional justice mechanisms, which GTF says, should be embedded in the constitutional reform process to permanently end the culture of impunity and to promote genuine reconciliation.
At such a critical time when the Sri Lankan Government’s political will and its ability to fully implement the key recommendations of the UNHRC resolution are being questioned, GTF says the International Community needs to resolutely engage, so that Sri Lanka stays on course towards genuine reform, and implements the resolution it co-sponsored without any exceptions.
Also last week, the Tamil National Alliance insisted that the government must have foreign judges in the accountability process.
TNA leader R. Sampanthan said that only foreign judges can ensure Tamils obtain justice for those killed during the war.
The Sunday Leader