Amnesty: Human Rights in Sri Lanka Summary 5 Nov 2013
“Sri Lanka may well regret having hosted the Commonwealth summit which has proved a PR disaster for the government. Most of the focus has rightly been on the country’s appalling human rights record,” Steve Crawshaw, Director of the Office of the Secretary General at Amnesty International, said from Colombo.
“The challenge for the international community is now to keep up the pressure on the Sri Lankan government. Those responsible for past violations, including war crimes, must be held accountable, and ongoing human rights violations stopped irrespective of rank – victims and survivors must see justice done. The past week has provided clear examples of the government’s repressive tactics.”
Backing the call already made by UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, the UK prime minister, David Cameron, said that, if no credible domestic investigations are carried out by March next year, there should be an international inquiry.
Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam of Mauritius, who boycotted CHOGM over Sri Lanka’s human rights situation, stressed that Sri Lanka must cooperate with such an inquiry.
“The strong words by Mauritius, the UK and others have bolstered calls for an international investigation into credible war crimes allegations. But we need action, not just words. The upcoming UN Human Rights Council session in March can and must establish the international inquiry that is long overdue,” said Crawshaw.
The Commonwealth today confirmed that Sri Lanka will serve as the organization’s Chair for the next two years, as well as on the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), the body charged with monitoring human rights in member states.
“By awarding Sri Lanka the chairmanship for the next two years and membership of the organization’s human rights oversight body, the Commonwealth has confirmed its failure to address the country’s human rights crisis,” said Crawshaw.
“It beggars belief that a country with Sri Lanka’s appalling human rights record can be accorded this honour.”