The Sri Lankan government must take “concrete” steps towards co-operating with the United Nations said Amnesty International in an address to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday.
Calling the Sri Lankan government's commitment to prioritise engagement with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) “promising”, Amnesty International said “it needs to be backed by concrete acts of co-operation, including to determine truth and pursue justice for crimes under international law”.
“Amnesty International cannot stress enough the need for a thorough accounting and justice for the victims of violations and abuses in Sri Lanka,” said the organisation.
The non-governmental organisation continued to say it “strongly encourages Sri Lanka to use the time until the Council considers the OHCHR Inquiry report in September 2015 to take specific measures to improve its human rights situation.”
“Publishing the names and locations of all detainees and permitting family visits; charging and trying detainees promptly in accordance with international standards or releasing them; repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act; and acceding to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance,” were examples of specific measures Sri Lanka could take before September said Amnesty International.
“This Council should continue to encourage, support and monitor progress in Sri Lanka, and remain vigilant for reprisals against human rights defenders,” concluded the statement.
See the full statement here.
Calling the Sri Lankan government's commitment to prioritise engagement with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) “promising”, Amnesty International said “it needs to be backed by concrete acts of co-operation, including to determine truth and pursue justice for crimes under international law”.
“Amnesty International cannot stress enough the need for a thorough accounting and justice for the victims of violations and abuses in Sri Lanka,” said the organisation.
The non-governmental organisation continued to say it “strongly encourages Sri Lanka to use the time until the Council considers the OHCHR Inquiry report in September 2015 to take specific measures to improve its human rights situation.”
“Publishing the names and locations of all detainees and permitting family visits; charging and trying detainees promptly in accordance with international standards or releasing them; repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act; and acceding to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance,” were examples of specific measures Sri Lanka could take before September said Amnesty International.
“This Council should continue to encourage, support and monitor progress in Sri Lanka, and remain vigilant for reprisals against human rights defenders,” concluded the statement.
See the full statement here.