Geneva/ColomboSri Lanka is at a turning point in its political career, with a UN report saying past and present “impunity” for human rights abuses, economic crime and corruption were the underlying reasons for the collapse of the island nation’s economy . The UN report released on Tuesday also suggested fundamental changes to address current challenges and avoid recurrence of past human rights violations.
Interestingly, this comes ahead of the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council session, which will take place in Geneva from 12 September to 7 October, where a resolution on Sri Lanka is expected to be tabled. It is also the first time that the top UN body has linked the economic crisis to Sri Lanka’s blatant human rights violations.
“For lasting recovery, it is important to recognize and assist Sri Lanka to address the underlying factors that have contributed to this crisis, including past and present human rights abuses, economic crimes and endemics,” the report said. There are implicit penalties for corruption.” Told.
It said the broad demands of Sri Lankans from all communities for accountability and democratic reforms presented “an important starting point for a new and common vision for the future”.
“Fundamental changes will be needed to address the current challenges and avoid the recurrence of past human rights violations,” the report said.
UN asks Sri Lankan government to end harsh security laws
The UN report calls on the Ranil Wickremesinghe-led government to immediately end reliance on harsh security laws and act on peaceful protests, reverse the trend towards militarization and reform the security sector and impunity Show renewed commitment. In July, Wickremesinghe imposed a state of emergency after his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned from his post following massive anti-government protests over the run of the economy and the government’s mishandling of the economy.
The report said the security forces showed considerable restraint in responding to the recent large-scale protests, but the Sri Lankan government under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) arrested some student leaders and violently suppressed peaceful protests. has taken a tough approach.
Enacted in 1979, the PTA allows officers to conduct warrantless arrests and searches if a person is suspected of engaging in “terrorist activity.” The heavily militarized environment and surveillance culture also continues in the north and east of the country, the report said.
Free and transparent investigation of Easter bombings
Expressing concern about the lack of progress to establish the truth about the Easter Sunday bombings in 2019, the report seeks to advance international aid to the front lines and a follow-up with the full participation of victims and their representatives. There has also been a call for an independent and transparent inquiry. Why inquire?
Nine suicide bombers belonging to the National Thowheed Jamaat, a local Islamist extremist group affiliated with ISIS, carried out a series of explosions at three churches and several luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, killing 258 people, including 11 Indians, and injuring over 500. Easter Sunday on 21st April 2019.
No effective judiciary in Sri Lanka
“The State of Sri Lanka, including successive governments, has consistently failed to pursue an effective transitional justice process, to hold perpetrators of gross human rights violations and abuses accountable and to ensure justice, justice and compensation for victims,” the report said. rights to be upheld.” “Rather, they have created political barriers to accountability, and have actively promoted and implicated some military officers in the highest levels of government in alleged war crimes,” it added. Additionally, the report urges the Sri Lankan government to explore further measures to target those who have been accused of gross violations and abuses of international human rights law or of being responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law.
Foreign Minister Ali Sabri said earlier this week that Sri Lanka would oppose a new resolution on its human rights accountability, specifically an external investigation mechanism, at a session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Sabri said Sri Lanka is pursuing a policy of engagement on rights accountability, bilaterally and multilaterally, and is looking for a lasting solution. A possible draft resolution on Sri Lanka is expected to be tabled on 23 September. After this, on 6 October, a vote will be held among the member countries on the new draft resolution.
The UN rights body has, since 2013, adopted resolutions calling for rights accountability for war crimes, blaming government troops and the LTTE group, who have tried to create a separate state for Tamil minorities in the north and eastern regions. A violent campaign was launched for
30 years of civil war
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the now deposed former president, ended Sri Lanka’s nearly 30-year civil war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with the death of its supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran in 2009. The former defense secretary, who has been accused of violating human rights, vehemently denies the allegation.
Then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya’s elder brother, announced the end of the 26-year war on May 18, 2009 in which more than 100,000 people were killed and millions of Sri Lankans, mainly minority Tamils, displaced as refugees. Had happened. country and abroad.
Another resolution launched in 2015, co-sponsored by Sri Lanka, called on the country to establish a credible judicial process with the participation of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defense lawyers, and authorized prosecutors and investigators.
However, Sri Lanka consistently opposed the idea. In a 2021 resolution, the UN rights body rejected the domestic mechanism proposed by the then Gotabaya Rajapaksa government. The 2021 resolution was adopted with 22 votes in favor and 11 in favor of Sri Lanka, including China.