The Canadian Tamil Congress called on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to ensure an upcoming report on mass atrocities committed in Sri Lanka “reveals the full force and mandate” of the UN Human Rights Council resolution that commissioned it.
“As the HRC sits June 15, 2015 for its 29th regular session, Tamils from Sri Lanka and around the world are hopeful that this session will be used to strengthen the report,” said a CTC statement released earlier today.
Noting that the release of the report has been deferred from March earlier this year, CTC said that “since then, new information has been provided by various parties”. It also recognised High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein’s comments on the “the importance of this international investigation” especially “given the history of failed or obstructed domestic human rights inquiries in Sri Lanka”.
“While there has been doubt cast by a few as to whether the report will be postponed, the Canadian Tamil Congress feels that the Commissioner will stay true to his word and release report come September,” the statement added. “In that same vein, we strongly request the OHCHR to do its utmost to ensure the September report reveals the full force and mandate of the April 2014 resolution.”
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