{"id":51762,"date":"2017-03-03T19:33:35","date_gmt":"2017-03-04T00:33:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=51762"},"modified":"2017-03-03T19:33:35","modified_gmt":"2017-03-04T00:33:35","slug":"un-human-rights-chief-zeid-chides-lanka-on-slow-progressand-lack-of-commitment-on-war-crimes-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=51762","title":{"rendered":"UN Human Rights Chief Zeid chides Lanka on \u2018slow progress\u2019and lack of commitment on war crimes court"},"content":{"rendered":"

By DharishaBastians in Geneva <\/strong><\/p>\n

Sri Lanka has shown little commitment to setting up a special judicial mechanism to prosecute alleged war crimes, the United Nations said in a new report released in Geneva yesterday that criticises the Government for its \u201cslow pace of progress\u201d on post-war reconciliation and justice.<\/p>\n

In a hard-hitting report to the 34th Session of the UN Human Rights Council currently meeting in Geneva, UN Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra\u2019ad Al Hussein said the Government had prioritised only truth and reparations aspects of the transitional justice process it committed to in the 2015 resolution. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhile acknowledging the complexity of establishing such a judicial mechanism, the High Commissioner considers that preparatory work for judicial mechanisms should already be at an advanced stage,\u201d the report observed. <\/p>\n

The High Commissioner\u2019s report also makes the astute observation that party politics and the balance of power in the ruling coalition in Sri Lanka had contributed to a reluctance to address \u201cdifficult issues\u201d relating to accountability for grave crimes committed during the war in the run up to constitutional reforms. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

While noting the positive advances on human rights and constitutional reform, and symbolic gestures of reconciliation, Zeid told the Council that \u201cthe fulfilment of transitional justice commitments has, however, been worryingly slow.\u201d <\/p>\n

High Commissioner Zeid, who is reviewing progress made by the Government of Sri Lanka on the implementation of the 2015 UNHRC resolution, said measures taken during the period under review were inadequate to ensure real progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cEighteen months after the adoption of resolution 30\/1, Sri Lanka has made some measure of elementary progress in reconciliation, in addressing the root causes of the conflict, and in truth-seeking,\u201d the report said, calling for \u201cstronger, tangible results\u201d to prevent a further erosion of trust. <\/p>\n

His report urges Sri Lanka to operatationalise the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) enacted in late 2016. \u201cA credible, trustworthy and accessible OMP will serve as a litmus test for any future transitional justice mechanism,\u201d the High Commissioner notes. <\/p>\n

Noting Government failures on communicating its policies on reconciliation and justice, the High Commissioner calls for the launch of a communications campaign to inform the public about the objectives, time frame and rationale of the reconciliation agenda.<\/p>\n

The report also makes scathing references to the continued failure to address what the UN calls \u201cemblematic cases\u201d of impunity, including the Trinco-5 murders, the 17 aid workers in Muttur in 2006 and the Welikada prison riot of 2012. The report also points to recent acquittals of suspects charged in the Raviraj assassination and the Kumarapuram massacre in 1996. Zeid charges that the state continues to show a lack of capacity or willingness to prosecute perpetrators in serious crimes linked to the security forces. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe failure to show progress in these cases only strengthens the case for the establishment of a specialised court to deal with system crimes, staffed by specialised personnel and supported by international practitioners,\u201d Zeid\u2019s strongly worded report said. <\/p>\n

The High Commissioner also observes that while there had been limited progress made on transitional justice, progress was visible in the constitutional reform process. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe High Commissioner is encouraged by the manner in which political dialogue has progressed, and understands that there is a focus on political settlement and devolution,\u201d the report to the Council states. <\/p>\n

International human rights activists also called on member countries of the UN Human Rights Council to take note of the High Commissioner\u2019s report, and push for a more substantive resolution on Sri Lanka at this month\u2019s session. <\/p>\n

The High Commissioner\u2019s report underlines just how far there is to go before the promise of reconciliation, justice and reform becomes a reality in Sri Lanka, the Human Rights Watch said, in a reaction to the new UN report. Human Rights Watch Geneva Director John Fisher urged the Human Rights Council to adopt a \u201csubstantive resolution\u201d at the current session to ensure continued international scrutiny until the Government of Sri Lanka delivers on its commitments in full. <\/p>\n

\u201cSeventeen months ago, when we published a detailed report on the grave human rights violations committed during the conflict in Sri Lanka, I urged the Government and all the people of Sri Lanka to ensure that this historic opportunity for truly fundamental change should not be squandered,\u201d High Commissioner Zeid said, in a press release issued by his Office. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis critical opportunity in Sri Lankan history cannot be missed. I urge the Government and people of Sri Lanka to prioritise justice alongside reconciliation to ensure that the horrors of the past are firmly dealt with, never to recur,\u201d the High Commissioner asserted. <\/p>\n

In the 2015 UN resolution co-sponsored by Sri Lanka, Zeid\u2019s Office was mandated to assess Sri Lanka\u2019s progress in tackling the legacy of grave violations in the island between 2002-2011, and report back to the Council at its 34th session that commenced this week. In his report, the High Commissioner urges the Government of Sri Lanka to invite the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to establish a full-fledged presence in the island. <\/p>\n

The High Commissioner will present the report to the Human Rights Council on 22 March in Geneva. <\/p>\n

Eleven TNA MPs sign appeal to UN against giving Sri Lanka more time<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eleven TNA parliamentarians have signed a joint appeal to the UN Human Rights Council which is meeting in its 34th Session this month, lobbying the Council to refrain from granting Sri Lanka an extension to implement the 2015 resolution beyond the March 2017 deadline. <\/p>\n

\u201cSri Lanka voluntarily co-sponsored this Resolution and committed to fully implement the requirements of the Resolution by March 2017. Extensions and grace periods have been given already, but no progress has been made on any front,\u201d the appeal states. <\/p>\n

The appeal which has been signed by Tamil MPs and victim groups, says any extension of time will embolden the Sri Lankan Government to \u201ccommit human rights abuses against Tamils without fear\u201d and calls for a referral of Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court in the Hague through the UN Security Council. <\/p>\n

TNA MPs S. Sritharan, Selvam Adaikalanathan, Dharmalingam Sitharthan, S. Yogeswaran, Sivasakthi Ananthan, G. Srinesan, Charles Nirmalanathan, Shanthi SrishKantharaja, Dr. Siva Mohan, S. Viyalanderan, and K. Kodeeswaran, have placed their signatures on the appeal to the UN. Eighteen victim and civil society groups and four former Parliamentarians, including EPRLF Leader Suresh Premachandran have also signed the appeal. <\/p>\n


\nTNA welcomes Zeid\u2019s report, says Govt failures are eroding trust of the Tamils<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u200bThe Tamil National Alliance has welcomed the UN High Commissioner\u2019s report on Sri Lanka, and expressed its own concerns about the lack of progress on accountability. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have called on the Government to present a time-bound action plan to implement its own commitments,\u201d the TNA said in a statement following the release of Zeid\u2019s report to the Council. <\/p>\n

The country\u2019s main Tamil party said that the Government had failed to pursue confidence-building measures, including land releases, the release of prisoners, repealing of the PTA and ending military involvement in commercial and civilian activities. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe failure of the Government on these issues is steadily eroding the trust of our people,\u201d the Tamil party claimed. <\/p>\n

The TNA added that the systemic failure to make progress on emblematic cases in the regular courts highlights the need for a special court with robust international participation in keeping with the Government\u2019s commitments. \u201cWe welcome the High Commissioner\u2019s recommendation echoing this demand. We also call on the Government to operationalise the Office on Missing Persons forthwith,\u201d the Tamil party said in its statement following the release of the report. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe inexplicable delay in doing so unconscionably prolongs the agony of the families of the disappeared,\u201d it added. <\/p>\n

Courtesy:Daily FT<\/em><\/p>\n

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By DharishaBastians in Geneva Sri Lanka has shown little commitment to setting up a special judicial mechanism to prosecute alleged war crimes, the United Nations said in a new report released in Geneva yesterday that criticises the Government for its \u201cslow pace of progress\u201d on post-war reconciliation and justice. In a hard-hitting report to the …<\/p>\n

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