A coalition of South African human rights groups have raised concerns over the South African government's invitation to Sri Lankan officials with links to alleged war criminals.
On 27 March the coalition published a statement criticizing the South African government for inviting the Sri Lankan minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry, and the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs, and Constitutional Reforms Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse. The purpose of the visit was "to learn from the South African experience in regard to the establishment of, and work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to promote reconciliation in Sri Lanka."
The statement highlights that the invitation is concerning in view of the "ongoing human rights violations, the suppression of civil society in Sri Lanka, and the failure of the Sri Lankan government to ensure criminal accountability for gross human rights violations perpetrated during the 1983-2009 civil war."
The statement continues emphasizing that both Sabry and Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse have close ties with former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Rajapaksa has been implicated in serious international crimes, he is also among four Sri Lankan officials were sanctioned by Canada in January of this year.
Further, the coalition also emphasizes that the Sri Lankan government has failed to implement three out of the four transitional justice mechanisms included in the 2015 UN resolution 30/1. The transitional justice mechanism that has been implemented is the Office of Missing (OMP) which has been criticized by Tamil families of the disappeared for repeatedly failing to deliver answers.
In closing their statement, the South African human rights groups stated that "the South African government [should] engage with Sri Lanka to ensure that the government ends the prevalent impunity for gross human rights violations and continuing suppression of dissent and repression of civil society organization, and creates an environment conducive to meaningful transitional justice process in line with the recommendations by various UN entities."
The statement was endorsed by:
Foundation for Human Rights (FHR)
Human Rights Media Centre (HRMC)
Khulumani Support Group - Galela Campaign
Violence Prevention Agency (VPA)
Centre for the Study Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
Open Secrets (OS)
Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS)
Read full statement here
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