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UN:
UN, SRI LANKA SHOULD COOPERATE ON HUMAN RIGHTS, HIGH COMMISSIONER SAYS :15/10/2007 (MaximsNews Network)
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UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network /
- 15 October 2007 –
Citing ongoing reports of abuses in Sri Lanka,
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who has just wrapped up a
visit to the country, called for UN-Government cooperation to address the
problem.
“There
is a large number of reported killings, abductions and disappearances which
remain unresolved. This is particularly worrying in a country that has had a
long, traumatic experience of unresolved disappearances and no shortage of
recommendations from past Commissions of Inquiry on how to safeguard against
such violations,” Louise Arbour said in Colombo.
Sri
Lanka, which has ratified most international human rights treaties, has
potential for national protection, she said, but “in the context of the armed
conflict and of the emergency measures taken against terrorism, the weakness of
the rule of law and prevalence of impunity is alarming.”
The High
Commissioner said government representatives insisted that national mechanisms
are adequate for the protection of human rights, but “people from across a
broad political spectrum and from various communities have expressed to me a
lack of confidence and trust in the ability of existing relevant institutions to
adequately safeguard against the most serious human rights abuses.”
Members
of the Commission of Inquiry established last year to investigate killings of
civilians reported that some State officials had failed to appear in response to
their requests, and said their work was constrained by the absence of an
effective witness assistance and protection system, according to the High
Commissioner.
Ms.
Arbour called for public hearings of the Commission and stressed that it should
not be a substitute for effective action by law enforcement agencies.
She
praised the country's Human Rights Commission for the “important role” it
has played in the past but said controversy over the appointment of
commissioners has created a crisis of confidence both locally and
internationally.
One of
the major human rights shortcomings in Sri Lanka, she said, “is rooted in the
absence of reliable and authoritative information on the credible allegations of
human rights abuses.”
The
assertion that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is manipulating
information for propaganda gain, she said, “only accentuates the need for
independent information gathering and public reporting on human rights
issues.”
The High
Commissioner said her office (OHCHR) is willing to support the Government of Sri
Lanka toward this end. “In light of the gravity of the reported ongoing
abuses, and in particular of threats to life and security of the person, I
believe that we should urgently resolve our ongoing discussions about the future
of a productive relationship between OHCHR and the Government of Sri Lanka.”
Ms.
Arbour, who visited Jaffna with help from the military authorities, voiced
regret that she had not been able to visit the Eastern Province because of time
constraints.
“I
also regret that I did not have the opportunity to visit Killinochchi, where I
would have liked to convey directly to the LTTE my deep concern about their
violations of human rights and humanitarian law, including the recruitment of
children, forced recruitment and abduction of adults, and political killings,”
she said.
“I am
very concerned by the many reports I have also received of serious violations by
the TMVP and other armed groups,” she added, referring to a breakaway rebel
faction.
Broader
human rights issues affecting all communities on the island have largely been
eclipsed by the immediate focus on issues related to the conflict, Ms. Arbour
said, citing discrimination and exclusion, gender inequalities, the low
participation of women in public and political life, the rights of migrant
workers and press freedom.
“These
challenges will remain before and after any peace settlement, and they are
deserving of greater and more focused attention.”
She also
called for Sri Lanka to ratify the new International Convention for the
Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and to “seriously
consider joining the 105 countries which have ratified the Rome Treaty creating
the International Criminal Court” (ICC).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Labels: United
Nations, U.N.,
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MaximsNews.com, An Independent Voice from the
U.N., provides commentary and analysis from
leading world figures: King Abdullah II
(Jordan), HRH Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein
(Jordan), Sir Brian Urquhart, Hans Blix, Amb.
Richard Holbrooke, Anwar Ibrahim, Bianca Jagger,
Dr. Nafis Sadik, Shashi Tharoor, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Noeleen Heyzer,
Masood Haider, Kerry
Kennedy, Ian Williams, Stephen Schlesinger, Sen.
Timothy E. Wirth, Marc Morial, Amb. Jayantha
Dhanapala (Sri Lanka), Amb. Pierre Schori
(Sweden), Amb. William H. Luers, Susan Roosevelt
Weld, Rory Kennedy, Mehri
Madarshahi, J. Michael Adams, Gloria Feldt,
Jeffrey Laurenti, Rodney D. Smith, Ashley
Bommer, Rory
O'Connor, Genevieve Stamper, Max Stamper and
others.
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