2010 letter to Sec. Clinton on Sri Lanka FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 27, 2016 CONTACT: Abraham White 202-308-8430 Bipartisan Group of 24 Lawmakers Calls on Secretary Kerry to Strengthen Peace and Human Rights in Sri Lanka for War Victims WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressmen Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Bill Johnson (R-OH) led… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Human Rights
Watchdog: Amendments to the OMP Bill
by Watchdog Collective, July 5, 2016 Memo to CTF – OMP Bill – 5 July 2016 Further to our memorandum to the Consultation Task Force (“CTF”), dated 1 May 2016, and our follow-up letter to the Foreign Minister, dated 16 May 2016, we write a further follow-up memorandum relating to the Office of Missing Persons (“OMP”). This memorandum… Read more »
CHRD: Oral Submission to Consultation Task Force
by K.S. Ratnavale, Centre for Human Rights & Development, Kotte, Sri Lanka, July 5, 2016 There has been a country –wide discussion about Transitional Justice. The government of Sri Lanka has appointed a Task Force who in turn appointed Zonal Task Force for consultations. There has been an avalanche of activities in the districts and… Read more »
(Re)conceptualising Reconciliation
by Dr. Sujith Xavier, ‘Groundviews,’ Colombo, July 5, 2016 Transitional justice is a popular term in present day Sri Lanka. It is the means by which the various parties to the conflict have decided to bring about justice and reconciliation. The reason behind this move to employ transitional justice is two-fold. First, the international community,… Read more »
Sri Lanka Must Stay the Course
‘The Hindu’ editorial, Chennai, July 2, 2016 The frequent human rights updates in Geneva provide an occasion for the world to discuss Sri Lanka’s post-war situation, especially the progress made in investigating the excesses during the last phase of the civil war that ended in 2009. Until last year, the country considered the process hostile… Read more »
Is Sri Lanka on the Path to Reconciliation?
by Al Jazeera, Qatar, July 3, 2016 Video at http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2016/07/sri-lanka-reconciliation-160703174125765.html President Sirisena is under pressure to fulfill his post-cvil war promises of accountability and justice. It’s been seven years since the civil war in Sri Lanka ended. The 30-year conflict fell largely along ethnic lines. President Maithripala Sirisena has said reconciliation is one of his top… Read more »
Occupation of Land by the Military in the North
by MP Sritharan in Sri Lanka Parlimentary Hansard, June 10, 2016 Page 930: http://www.parliament.lk/uploads/documents/hansard/1466495811042632.pdf Other sources of figures for this disputed issue: British Tamil Forum: 67,427… Read more »
USTPAC Welcomes High Commissioner Zeid’s Call for Sustained International Engagement on Sri Lanka
WASHINGTON, June 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) member states responded yesterday in Geneva to High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein’s midterm report on the government of Sri Lanka’s implementation of Resolution 30/1. USTPAC welcomes High Commissioner Zeid’s report and statements from member states and other countries for more… Read more »
UNHCHR: Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka
by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, June 28, 2016 Advance copy of UNHCHR oral report on Sri Lanka’s compliance with UNHRC Resolution 30/1 A_HRC_32_CRP_4_EN This oral update is presented pursuant to Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1 on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, which was adopted by consensus with the… Read more »
Bipartisan Group of 24 Lawmakers Calls on Secretary Kerry
McGovern Johnson letter to Sec Kerry with signatures Jun 27, 2016 Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressmen Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Bill Johnson (R-OH) led a bipartisan group of 24 House lawmakers calling on Secretary John Kerry to continue U.S. efforts to strengthen human rights in Sri Lanka following a 26-year civil war between… Read more »
U.N. Urges Sri Lanka to Rein in Military, Prosecute War Crimes
by Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters, London, June 28, 2016 Sri Lanka must rein in its military forces, prosecute war crimes committed during the long civil war with Tamil rebels and win the confidence of the Tamil minority, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Witnesses must be protected under an effective transitional justice mechanism that should include… Read more »
Sri Lanka Wants the World to Forget about Justice for War Victims
by Nirmanusan Balasundaram, ‘The Guardian,’ UK, June 27, 2016 With the Sri Lankan government winding back commitments to reconciliation and justice measures, it’s up to the international community to hold them to account In October 2015 the government of Sri Lanka co-sponsored, along with the US, a resolution on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights… Read more »
Oral Statements at UNHRC
Monday, June 13, 2016 – Oral Statement by Pasumai Thaayagam UN Web TV link: http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/human-rights-council/watch/item2-general-debate-contd-4th-meeting-32nd-regular-session-of-human-rights-council/4940474281001 No. 58, Time: 2:06:00 ———– —————– ————– Tuesday, June 21, 2016 – Oral statement by Pasumai Thayagam UN Web TV link: http://webtv.un.org/watch/item3-general-debate-cont-20th-meeting-32nd-regular-session-of-human-rights-council/4962898189001 No. 48, Time: 06:30 ———– —————– ————– Thursday, June 23, 2016 – Oral statement by Pasumai Thayagam UN Web TV link: http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/watch/item4-general-debate-contd-27th-meeting-32nd-regular-session-of-human-rights-council/4973022505001… Read more »
GTF: International Community Must Continue to Exert Pressure on Sri Lanka
International Community must continue to exert pressure on Sri Lanka to facilitate faithful implementation of all aspects of the UNHRC resolution – Global Tamil Forum Wednesday, June 22, 2016 As the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) meets in Geneva this month and the High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein prepares his… Read more »
Status of Confidence-Building Measures
by US Tamil Political Action Council Confidence-Building Measures Implementation_Chart This chart is to be read with the October 2015 Confidence Building Measures It has been 18 months since President Sirisena was elected and 9 months since the government of Sri Lanka co-sponsored HRC Resolution 30/1. While the government has implemented some notable measures to build… Read more »
Defence Ministry Refuses to Provide List of Surrendered Persons
by ‘Sri Lanka Briefs, June 18, 2016 from an article by Ruwan Laknath Jayakody and Arthur Wamanan, ‘The Nation,’ June 18,2016 The Commission to Investigate into Complaints Regarding Missing Persons informed last week that it had reached a bottleneck as the Ministry of Defence had not complied with a request made by the Commission asking… Read more »
Civil Society Statement on Accountability
Civil Society Statement on Accountability and Timing TJ – 22nd June 2016 We, the undersigned Sri Lankan civil society activists and organisations, note with deep concern the lack of tangible progress in ending impunity in Sri Lanka, more than seventeen months since the change of government in January 2015. We believe that no mechanism for… Read more »
Broken Promises Again at the UN?
by JS Tissainayagam, ‘Asian Correspondent,’ June 21, 2016 THE United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions now underway in Geneva gives another opportunity to Sri Lanka to trumpet the progress it is making on transitional justice. However, there is scant evidence of ‘progress’ on the ground because the government has either gone back, or done… Read more »
Cluster Bombs Used in Sri Lanka’s Civil War
by Emanuel Stoakes, ‘The Guardian,’ UK, June 20, 2016 Exclusive: images appear to confirm use of the indiscriminate weapon in a conflict which cost the lives of at least 100,000 Remnants of what appears to be an RBK-500 AO-2.5RT cluster bomb uncovered near Chalai, Sri Lanka. Photograph: Source Images that appear to confirm the use… Read more »
Tough Pressure for Genuine Accountability Required in Sri Lanka
by Tamil Guardian, London, June 12, 2016 Tough supportive pressure is needed for genuine accountability amid allegations of genocide in Sri Lanka, said former US Ambassador at Large for War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide. Mr Rapp spoke on a panel in the Royal Institute of Great Britain at the launch of the International… Read more »