{"id":29025,"date":"2014-03-26T21:32:29","date_gmt":"2014-03-27T01:32:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=29025"},"modified":"2014-03-26T22:39:14","modified_gmt":"2014-03-27T02:39:14","slug":"un-human-rights-chief-navi-pillay-says-witnesses-are-willing-to-testify-before-international-mechanisms-on-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=29025","title":{"rendered":"UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay Says Witnesses are Willing to Testify Before International Mechanisms on Sri Lanka."},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/p>\n

Dharisha Bastians
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay and the Government locked horns in Geneva yesterday, after the senior official pushed hard for an international investigation into alleged atrocities committed during the war in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

\"Navi<\/a>

Navi Pillay, United Nations, High Commissionner for Human Rights during the 25th Session of the Human Rights Council. 26 March 2014.-UN Photo\/Jean-Marc Ferr\u00e9<\/p><\/div>\n

Sri Lanka\u2019s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ravinatha Aryasinha told the UN Human Rights Council that High Commissioner Pillay\u2019s report that was orally presented yesterday reflected a \u201cpreconceived, politicised and prejudicial agenda which has been relentlessly pursued with regard to Sri Lanka\u201d.<\/p>\n

Pointing to the fact that High Commissioner Pillay had exceeded her mandate, Aryasinha said the Government delegation was \u201csurprised by the numerous errors and misperceptions contained in the draft report on Sri Lanka\u201d.
\n
\n\u201cThis was despite the High Commissioner and her team having undertaken a comprehensive, week-long visit to Sri Lanka during which time they were provided with unfettered access to study firsthand the situation on the ground,\u201d the Sri Lankan envoy said.<\/p>\n

Expressing \u201cdeep concern\u201d at such glaringly erroneous information in a report of this nature, he said, \u201cone would have expected the OHCHR to have undertaken a more stringent scrutiny of facts\u201d.<\/p>\n

Introducing her report to the Council, Pillay said it was important for the Human Rights Council to recall the magnitude and gravity of the violations alleged to have been committed by the Government and the LTTE during the last phase of the war, which had left thousands of civilians killed, injured or missing.<\/p>\n

\u201cFailure to address the grief and trauma among victims and survivors undermines confidence in the State and reconciliation,\u201d the High Commissioner said.<\/p>\n

Pillay said that an international inquiry was \u201cnot only warranted but also possible\u201d.<\/p>\n

New evidence continues to emerge, the UN Rights Chief said, adding that witnesses were willing to come forward to testify before international mechanisms in which they have confidence and which can guarantee their protection.<\/p>\n

She also flagged the arrest and detention of two prominent Sri Lankan rights activists last week, saying her Office was \u201cdisturbed\u201d by the harassment and intimidation, even while the UNHRC session has been underway.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe welcome their release. We are, however, concerned at their continued surveillance and the restrictions under which they have been placed,\u201d Pillay told the Council.<\/p>\n

The 47-member body will vote on a US-sponsored resolution today, which will seek to establish an international probe into allegations of major human rights abuses during Sri Lanka\u2019s war from 2002-2009.<\/p>\n

Ambassador Aryasinha criticised the US resolutions at the UNHRC which he said had emanated from a politicised process and mandate, and without the consent of the country concerned.<\/p>\n

The US, UK and the countries of the European Union pushed hard for an international probe into alleged violations in Sri Lanka during the debate at the UNHRC yesterday.<\/p>\n

In one of the strongest statements before the UN Human Rights Council it has ever made about Sri Lanka, the US Government said Sri Lanka had made little progress in the implementation of many LLRC recommendations, including key recommendations relating to justice and accountability for serious violations of Sri Lankan and international law such as indiscriminate killings of civilians.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is still much work to be done to ensure genuine reconciliation, justice, and accountability for alleged war crimes, as well as democratic governance and respect for human rights in Sri Lanka,\u201d US Head of Delegation to the UN in Geneva Paula Schriefer told the Council.<\/p>\n

Representing the EU at the Council, the Greece Delegation noted the \u201cshrinking space\u201d for journalists and human rights defenders and the undermining of independent institutions, including the Judiciary in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

Sri Lanka was strongly backed during yesterday\u2019s debate by Cuba, Russia, Pakistan, China, Vietnam, Sudan and Venezuela.<\/p>\n

The Cuba delegation denounced the OHCHR report presented by Pillay as being politicised and slammed double standards in the Council.<\/p>\n

China hailed the Sri Lankan Government\u2019s efforts to promote national reconciliation, while the delegation of the Russian Federation told the Council members that there had been no civilian deaths in Sri Lanka for four years.<\/p>\n

COURTESY:DailyFT<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dharisha Bastians UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay and the Government locked horns in Geneva yesterday, after the senior official pushed hard for an international investigation into alleged atrocities committed during the war in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka\u2019s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ravinatha Aryasinha told the UN Human Rights Council that …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay Says Witnesses are Willing to Testify Before International Mechanisms on Sri Lanka.’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29025"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29025"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29044,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29025\/revisions\/29044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}