The Labour Party has pledged to work for the “protection of human rights for Sri Lanka’s minority Tamil and Muslim populations” in its manifesto for the upcoming British elections, released earlier today.
“Around the world, human rights defenders and civil society activists remain vulnerable to attacks, often carried out with impunity,” said the manifesto, adding that human rights and international humanitarian law are “under threat”.
Speaking on the Tamil people, the manifesto pledges:
“We will work through the UN and the Commonwealth to insist on the protection of human rights for Sri Lanka’s minority Tamil and Muslim populations.”
It goes on to vow to “reform the international rules-based order to secure justice and accountability for breaches of human rights and international law, , such as the bombing of hospitals in Syria, the illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip, the use of rape as a weapon of war against the Rohingya community in Myanmar and the indiscriminate bombardment of civilians in Yemen”.
The party also pledged to “advocate for human rights at every bilateral diplomatic meeting” and “appoint human-rights advisers to work across the Foreign Office and government to prioritise a co-ordinated approach to human rights”.
See the full text of the manifesto here.
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