Several of Sri Lanka’s key commitments to the United Nations Human Rights Council remain unfulfilled said Human Rights Watch during the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ oral update on Sri Lanka’s progress in implementing resolution 30/1 on accountability and reconciliation.
Noting that Sri Lanka had ”at times backtracked on its commitments on the judicial mechanism for investigating war crimes and other serious rights abuses by both sides,” the Human Rights Watch Geneva Director John Fisher director added,
“this gap between the government’s formal undertaking in the resolution and public statements by senior officials is an unnecessary distraction from making real progress on the pledged justice mechanism with international involvement.”
Noting Sri Lanka’s setting up of the Office of missing Persons, Human Rights Watch called on the legislation to include “strong powers to investigate the thousands of enforced disappearances from nearly three decades of armed conflict. The enacted law should ensure that OMP’s findings are automatically transferred to prosecutorial bodies.”
Mr Fisher further stressed the need for Sri Lanka to repeal “the Prevention of Terrorism Act and replace it with legislation meeting international human rights standards.”
Echoing the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ calls for ongoing focus on Sri Lanka by the Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch concluded,
“We urge the Council, consistent with the High Commissioner’s call for “sustaining its close engagement,” to work with Sri Lanka until all resolution commitments are fully met.”
See full statement here.
Noting that Sri Lanka had ”at times backtracked on its commitments on the judicial mechanism for investigating war crimes and other serious rights abuses by both sides,” the Human Rights Watch Geneva Director John Fisher director added,
“this gap between the government’s formal undertaking in the resolution and public statements by senior officials is an unnecessary distraction from making real progress on the pledged justice mechanism with international involvement.”
Noting Sri Lanka’s setting up of the Office of missing Persons, Human Rights Watch called on the legislation to include “strong powers to investigate the thousands of enforced disappearances from nearly three decades of armed conflict. The enacted law should ensure that OMP’s findings are automatically transferred to prosecutorial bodies.”
Mr Fisher further stressed the need for Sri Lanka to repeal “the Prevention of Terrorism Act and replace it with legislation meeting international human rights standards.”
Echoing the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ calls for ongoing focus on Sri Lanka by the Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch concluded,
“We urge the Council, consistent with the High Commissioner’s call for “sustaining its close engagement,” to work with Sri Lanka until all resolution commitments are fully met.”
See full statement here.