Sri Lanka must ensure accountability for decades of enforced disappearances – UN report UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights press release, Geneva, May 17, 2024 GENEVA (17 May 2024) – Sri Lanka’s Government must take meaningful action to determine and disclose the fates and whereabouts of tens of thousands of people who… Read more »
Posts Categorized: International
OHCHR Report – Accountability for Enforced Disappearances in Sri Lanka
by Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, May 17, 2024 Full report, with summary in English, Tamil & Sinhalese – Accountability for Enforced Disappearances in Sri Lanka – OHCHR report | OHCHR OHCHR report re accountability for enforced disappearances May 2024 Summary: Unofficial document This report, issued pursuant to the United Nations… Read more »
Joint Declaration by the People of Tamil Nadu
by a variety of political parties from Tamil Nadu, February 3, 2024 TN_Joint_Declaration_2024-Tamil TN_Joint_Declaration_2024-English Eelam Tamils Independence Referendum Conference – 2024 Joint Declaration by the People of Tamil Nadu Chennai, Tamil Nadu – February 03, 2024 Whereas from time immemorial, the people of Tamil Nadu and the Tamil people of Eelam on the island presently… Read more »
Letter to Sec. Blinken re Eelam Tamils
by Nine members of US House of Representatives, Washington, DC, March 28, 2024 Letter to Sec. Blinken re Eelam Tamils
The India Factor in Sri Lanka’s Renewable Energy Sector
by Rathindra Kuruwita, The Island, Colombo, March 7, 2024 A recent India-Sri Lanka agreement for constructing renewable energy systems in three islands off the Jaffna coast reaffirms India’s domination of the sector. On March 1, the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority, the Government of Sri Lanka, and U-Solar Clean Energy Solutions from India signed an… Read more »
Enforced Disappearance Legal Database
by European Human Rights Advocacy Centre, London, March 24, 2024 Enforced Disappearance Legal Database – Enforced Disappearance Legal Database (ehrac.org.uk) The Enforced Disappearance Legal Database (EDLD) contains the leading jurisprudence, legislation and soft law on the autonomous offence of enforced disappearance as developed by human rights mechanisms around the world. The EDLD seeks to promote… Read more »
Modi’s Party Doesn’t Control All of India. But He’s Working on It
As an election nears, political strife between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opposition-held states is straining the federal formula that holds India together. by Mujib Mashal and Hari Kumar, The New York Times, March 23, 2024 Reporting from Chennai and New Delhi in India Published March 23, 2024Updated March 25, 2024, 12:09 p.m. ET It is the final frontier for… Read more »
Core Group Statement at 55th UNHRC
HRC 55 Item 2 General Debate – Sri Lanka Core Group Statement Thank you, Mr President. This statement is on behalf of the Sri Lanka Core Group comprising Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the United Kingdom and the United States, High Commissioner, There have been several important legislative developments regarding human rights, reconciliation and civic… Read more »
Pasumai Thayagaam Oral Statement at UNHRC
by Iniya Ravikumar, Pasumai Thayagaam, March 4, 2024 Item 2 General Debate at the 55th UNHRC following UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ report on Sri Lanka
HCHR Update on Sri Lanka
by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, Geneva, March 1, 2024 Presentation of the High Commissioner’s annual reports on Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras Oral update on the situation of human rights in Nicaragua Presentation of the High Commissioner’s annual report on Cyprus Oral update on progress in reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka… Read more »
PEARL Oral Statement
by Sahithyan Thilipkumar, People for Equality & Relief in Lanka, Geneva, March 4, 2024 Item 2 General Debate at the 55th UNHRC
TRG: Addressing Enforced Disappearances in Sri Lanka
Challenges, Concerns, and the Call for International Intervention February 29, 2024 – Geneva, Switzerland TRG Addressing Enforced Disappearances in Sri Lanka Feb 2024 ARED-Amparai-APPEAL-Feb2024 Tamil Rights Group (TRG) met with the Committee on Enforced Disappearances in a private session and issued a comprehensive statement addressing the ongoing crisis of enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka. The statement highlighted critical challenges,… Read more »
TG: Eyes Wide Shut
Tamil Guardian editorial, London, March 10, 2024 As Volker Türk addressed the UN Human Rights Council last week, his message could not have been clearer. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights delivered only an “update on progress” concerning reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka. He concluded that little such progress had taken place. Instead, the human… Read more »
ITJP: Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s War Time Role
by International Truth and Justice Project, Johannesburg, South Africa, January 17, 2024 ITJP Gotabaya-Rajapaksas-war-time-role-Jan-2024_Final_26.01.2024_compressed This report alleges that former Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa had command and superior responsibility for multiple violations of international humanitarian law and international criminal law amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the final phase of the… Read more »
ITJP: SLG Should Acknowlege Past Truth Commissions Before Establishing a New Body
by International Truth & Justice Project Sri Lanka, February 19, 2024 This press release presents a list of 36 past Commissions of Inquiry commissioned by the Sri Lankan Government – a third of which never even published their reports. Additionally, very few are even displayed on any government website, despite being for the large part… Read more »
JVP’s Unmistakable Turn
by A. Jathindra, Groundviews, Colombo, February 14, 2024 Amid the buzz surrounding the presidential race this year, the visit of the JVP-led National People’s Party (NPP) to India has raised much attention. As Sri Lanka plunged into a historic economic crisis, its political stability deteriorated. People’s hopes in terms of mainstream political parties have plummeted…. Read more »
HRW: Under Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka is Going Fast – In Reverse
Administration Has Moved to Stifle Criticism with a Raft of New, Repressive Laws by Meenakshi Ganguly, Human Rights Watch, February 14, 2024 Published in:Scroll.in Sri Lanka is still reeling from an economic crisis largely caused by misgovernance and lack of accountability. Public protests in 2022 forced the president and the prime minister, brothers Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa, to step down…. Read more »
The Birthrate Blues
by Joseph Charnie, Inter-Press Service, February 2, 2024 PORTLAND, USA, Jan 22 2024 (IPS) – Increasing numbers of countries are experiencing a spreading demographic condition, below replacement fertility, with many governments bemoaning the birthrate blues. Without compensating international migration, a fertility rate below the replacement level, which in most instances is approximately 2.1 births per woman, leads to population… Read more »
EU Resolution on Sri Lanka
European Parliament Joint motion for a resolution on Sri Lanka (Doc.: B5-0490/2003, B5-0492/2003, B5-0495/2003, B5-0498/2003, B5-0505/2003, B5-0510/2003 – Debate: 20.11.2003 – Vote: 20.11.2003) Vote MEPs adopted a joint resolution acknowledging the bold steps taken by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE) to create the conditions in which negotiations… Read more »
Dragon in the Maldives
Red alert for India’s regional leadership The Maldives case is a vivid example that Beijing is not going to stop its power play in India’s neighboring countries. China’s aim is crystal clear: to question India’s bid for regional leadership. By A. Jathindra, South Asia Monitor, New Delhi, February 8, 2024 The Maldives, a small country,… Read more »