By
Upul Joseph Fernando
Former Minister Bandula Gunawardena last week stated he would go to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva to complain that the Maithri-Ranil Government was arresting and questioning pro-Mahinda Rajapaksa activists.
Bandula is a close associate of Mahinda. Therefore, Bandula may be proceeding to Geneva on Mahinda’s instructions. In the past, Mahinda and his ministers including Bandula called the UNHRC Geneva a traitor of Sri Lanka and labelled it as an LTTE office.
It is opportune to recall that in 2012 when the UNHRC brought a resolution against Mahinda’s Government for alleged human rights violations, civic leaders: Sunila Abeysekere, Nimalka Fernando and Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu went to Geneva to lodge complaints. What did Mahinda’s closest associate Mervyn Silva say about those civic leaders? He threatened to break their legs when they returned to the country.
The State media went to town against Sunila, Nimalka and Pakiasothy and called them Tigers (LTTE) and made announcements that were likely to incite the public against them. Following such threats, the trio issued following statement to the media;
“JOINT STATEMENT: Sunila Abeysekara, Nimalka Fernando and Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu 23 March 2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka:
As the three Sri Lankan human rights defenders who have come most under attack by the State media in Sri Lanka in the past week, because of our active involvement with the on-going session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, we feel compelled to issue this statement of clarification.
We do not deny that we are critical of the conduct of the Government of Sri Lanka, and the institutions and agencies under its control, whenever disregard for the human rights obligations imposed on the government by virtue of its being signatory to almost all international human rights conventions comes to our attention. As the President of Sri Lanka and his Special Envoy on Human Rights well know, the three of us have offered our services to this government to ensure human rights accountability in the past. For example, all of us served on the National Advisory Council appointed by Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, when he held the portfolio for Human Rights.
Nor do we deny that we work with a range of human rights organizations, nationally, regionally and internationally, to draw attention to human rights violations in Sri Lanka, as well as to the culture of impunity and the lack of accountability for violations of the past and of the present. This is our right, as human rights defenders, and we have exercised that right for many years, under various governments, in spite of a barrage of attacks and intimidation from various quarters, including State and non-State entities.
It is indeed regrettable that at a time in the history of our country when we have the opportunity to transform our society, to move from a post-war to a post-conflict phase, and to enjoy the support of the international community to rebuild a just, humane and prosperous Sri Lanka in which all its citizens can live together with peace and dignity, the government and its media have seen it necessary to launch into an unprecedented and utterly personalized attack against the three of us. There is no attempt to challenge us substantively on any point. None of the comments attributed to us, were actually ever made by any one of us; there are many who were present at the side events where we have spoken who can testify to that.
This attack is totally counter-productive in terms of the government’s campaign to resist the Resolution on Sri Lanka, which has been tabled at the Council. In fact, in Geneva today, there is more focus on the attacks and acts of intimidation of Sri Lankan human rights defenders than there is on the negotiations around the Resolution. Those who accuse us of bringing the country into disrepute would do well to examine both their own motives and the consequences of their actions. Instead of carrying on with advocacy for defeating the Resolution, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Council
, Ms. Tamara Kunanayagam has had to spend hours of her valuable time talking to delegations, to the President of the Council and to officials of the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights about the campaign of intimidation and attack against Sri Lankan human rights defenders at the Council and in Sri Lanka. As human rights defenders working to defeat impunity in Sri Lanka and to build a strong system of justice and accountability for human rights violations, whether committed in the past or in the present, we remain committed to our ideals and to our goals. For us, whether there is a Resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council or not, our work to defend human rights in Sri Lanka must, and will, go on.”
The twist of fate
The twist of fate is that those who threatened to break the legs of the people who went to Geneva in 2012 are now going to the very place to cover up the fraud they have committed while in power. Then Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris himself confessed that his ministry was politicized and lacked transparency. That confession testified to the climate which existed in the foreign affairs sphere at that time. Mahinda’s government even refused to accept the resolution brought before the UNHRC. It also refused to allow UNHRC officials to visit Sri Lanka to investigate into the reported allegations. Mahinda’s Government held that it was interference on internal affairs in his country.
When former UNHRC Chief Navi Pillay visited Colombo and later made critical remarks on human rights violations in Sri Lanka, Mahinda addressing the 62nd anniversary of the SLFP said (as reported in the media); “Speaking at the 62nd anniversary of the foundation of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, President Rajapaksa said that all Sri Lankans should unite against “foreign interference and safeguard the democracy in the country.
” There is no doubt that this is at least partly in response to Pillay’s attacks. He also said that his presidency cannot be called a dictatorship, because there are elections in the country, and that “It is no secret that certain powerful foreign and local elements are trying to create divisions between the communities and religions to bring anti government groups to power and bring this country under their heel.”
Who taught Sri Lankans to visit Geneva to complain?
It was Mahinda who taught Sri Lankans to visit Geneva to complain about human rights violations. Mahinda went to Geneva to complain about disappearances in 1989 under the Premadasa Government. When the Premadasa Government claimed that Mahinda betrayed his country, Mahinda claimed his action was bona-fide. However, when civic leaders and other organizations went to Geneva to complain about human rights violations by Mahinda’s Government, Mahinda labelled them as traitors.
When UNP MPs went to Geneva to complain about the arrest of Sarath Fonseka and the subsequent unseating of Fonseka from Parliament, Mahinda’s Government labelled those MPs as LTTE Tigers. The Late Dr. Jayalath Jayawardene who was a member of that delegation was rounded up in the Parliament lobby and assaulted by members in the then Mahinda Government. The documents Dr. Jayawardene carried with him were taken into police custody.
Today Mahinda views the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) of the Maithri-Ranil Government as a traitor. To the surprise of all, Mahinda today views the UNHRC in Geneva and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) as guardian angels and patriots. It is interesting to watch the response when Bandula Gunawardene accompanied by Mahinda’s men visit the UNHRC and the IPU to lodge complaints on human rights.
Courtesy:Ceylon Today