Posts Categorized: Politics

Overcoming the Peace Versus Justice Divide in Colombia

New developments are advancing hopes that the Colombian government and the largest anti-government armed group in the country—the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC—will soon reach an agreement in their protracted peace talks to bring an end to the country’s even more protracted armed conflict. Last week, the Colombian government and FARC leaders agreed… Read more »

2015 UNHRC Resolution on Sri Lanka

 —– Archived webcast of discussion of OHCHR Report on Sri Lanka OHCHR Report on Sri Lanka – 37th Meeting, 30th Regular Session Human Rights Council OHCHR Report on Sri Lanka (Cont’d) – 38th Meeting, 30th Regular Session Human Rights Council  —— Resolution on Sri Lanka A/HRC/30/1 UNHRC Resolution 30/1 October 1 2015 Received from (main… Read more »

UNHCHR Zeid Statement to UNHRC on Sri Lanka

Statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein via videolink to the Human Rights Council Scroll down for the video message link. 30 September 2015 Mr President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to present the report of OHCHR on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, including… Read more »

Fr. Emmanuel Statement to UNHRC

Statement by Fr.S.J.Emmanuel on the 30th Sept.2015 at the UNHRC We give a cautious but hopeful welcome to this Resolution. We thank the High Commissioner and his team for the Report – a historic document in promoting Truth, Justice and Accountability for all the peoples of Sri Lanka. How far the mechanism proposed in this… Read more »

Pasumai Thayagam Statements to UNHRC

Three statements below by ‘Green Motherland,’ India at the UN Human Rights Council re Tamils in Sri Lanka: UN Human Rights Council, October 30, 2015 General Debate on the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Sri Lanka Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss MPThank You Mr.President This is Dr. Anbumani… Read more »

Joint Statement of Tamil Political Parties, Civil Society & Trade Unions

Joint Statement of Tamil Political Parties, CS Orgs and Trade Unions ——————– JOINT  STATEMENT  OF  TAMIL  POLITICAL  PARTIES, CIVIL  SOCIETY  ORGANISATIONS  & TRADE  UNIONS  ON THE  DRAFT  RESOLUTION  ON  SRI  LANKA 29  September  2015 We   release   this   statement   in   response   to   the   draft   resolution   titled… Read more »

NPC Chief Minister Statement to UNHRC

 NPC_CM__to_UNHRC To The Membership of the UN Human Rights Council  Geneva At the request of the Chief Minister of Northern Province, I am forwarding herewith the statement in relation to the OISL report and the Consensus Resolution for your kind information, reference and consideration please.  Thanking you. Yours Faithfully Ravi Sharma Staff Officer attached to Chief Minister’s… Read more »

Report & Recommendations of UNHCHR to UNHRC on Sri Lanka

HCHR Report and Recommendations  A_HRC_30_61_ENG http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/OISL.aspx   A/HRC/30/61 Advance Unedited Version Distr.: General 16 September 2015   Original: English Human Rights Council Thirtieth session Agenda item 2 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Report of the Office of… Read more »

TNA Statement on Draft Resolution

TNA Statement The Tamil National Alliances welcomes the draft text of a resolution on Sri Lanka tabled by the co-sponsors of the resolution today. In particular, we welcome the draft resolution’s call on Sri Lanka to involve foreign and Commonwealth judges, lawyers, investigators and defenders in a judicial mechanism to be set up in Sri… Read more »

HRW: UN Resolution Could Advance Justice

(Geneva) – The United Nations Human Rights Council should adopt a resolution ensuring a robust international role in Sri Lanka’s justice mechanism for abuses during the country’s brutal civil war, Human Rights Watch said today. The resolution, expected to be adopted on October 1, 2015, contains a number of strong provisions but will need to… Read more »

A Hybrid Court, But How Strong Will It Be?

The Governments of Sri Lanka, the United States, the United Kingdom, Montenegro, and Macedonia have published the text of a joint resolution which will form the basis of the follow up to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ “OISL” report. You can read the text here. What happens now? This resolution can be amended… Read more »

Countries to Pledge Troops to Bolster UN Peacekeepers

Other offers will be treated with caution by the UN. Sri Lanka has said it will commit troops but officials are wary because of the Sri Lankan military’s war crimes during the conflict with the Tamil Tigers.

TNA & US Reaction to Tabled UNHRC Resolution

September 24, 2015 TNA Statement on the draft text of the resolution on Sri Lanka: The Tamil National Alliances welcomes the draft text of a resolution on Sri Lanka tabled by the co-sponsors of the resolution today. In particular, we welcome the draft resolution’s call on Sri Lanka to involve foreign and Commonwealth judges, lawyers,… Read more »

UNHRC Resolution on Sri Lanka Tabled

A/HRC/30/L.29 Received from (main sponsors): The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America Date and Time: 24/09/2015  17:17   HRC 30th Session – Draft Resolution   Item 2:  Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka   The Human Rights Council,   Pp1… Read more »

Sri Lanka’s Watershed Moment

In the coming days, a United States-led core group at the United Nations Human Rights Council will put forward its resolution on accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, responding in part to the OISL (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Investigation into Sri Lanka) report released on Sept. 16. The resolution, which is… Read more »

Sri Lanka’s Intervention at UNHRC Informals

Intervention-by-Ambassador-Ravinatha-Aryasinha-at-the-First-informal-session-on-the-Draft-resolution-on-Sri-Lanka It was pointed out that all these mechanisms will be evolved and designed by a wide process of consultations with all stakeholders including victims, communities, political parties, civil society representatives, the military, the High Commissioner and his office, bilateral partners, relevant international organizations as well as members of the diaspora who wish to be… Read more »

A Reckoning on Sri Lanka War Crimes

The United Nations Human Rights Council released its report Wednesday on possible war crimes committed during the last years of the Sri Lankan civil war. As many as 40,000 Tamils were killed by the military during the final months of the conflict, which ended in 2009. Citing a “horrific level of violations and abuses” in… Read more »