Photograph: HRC Secretariat
The Malaysian authorities must drop charges against an activist for her role in screening the award-winning documentary film ‘No Fire Zone’ without censorship board approval, said Human Rights Watch. In a statement released on Monday, said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch said, “Prosecuting someone for the private showing of an award-winning film shows how determined Malaysian authorities are to stomp on the right to free expression… The government should call off its intensifying assault on free expression and promptly amend the Film Censorship Act.” Lena Hendry, a staff member of the human rights group Pusat KOMAS, was charged over the film screening in July 2013 and faces up to three years in prison if found guilty of breaching the Film Censorship Act. “The charges against Hendry appear to have been primarily motivated by the Malaysian government’s desire to appease Sri Lankan embassy officials, who had publicly demanded that the film not be shown and visited the venue, the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, on the day of the film’s showing to urge the venue’s managers to cancel the event,” said Human Rights Watch.
Five Eelam Tamil refugees began a hunger strike at the special camp in the Central Prison complex at Tiruchirappalli on Saturday, demanding they be released from jail. The five refugees were earlier held at a refugee camp in Chennai, though were brought to the prison after being charged with landing in India illegally. Tiruchirappalli has seen previous hunger strikes from Eelam Tamil refugees, protesting against the charges laid out against them See our earlier post: Eelam refugees begin hunger strike in Indian camp (16 Nov 2014)
The European Union stated it would work towards promoting “reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka” in a statement delivered to the 30th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday. The European Union Statement, delivered by Luxembourg, said: “The EU looks forward to the High Commissioner's report on Sri Lanka presented at this session. The EU will continue to support efforts towards further progress of the human rights situation as well as to promote reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka.”
Mr. President High Commissioner for Human Rights Excellencies Distinguished delegates I would like to begin by thanking you, and the members of the Council for the trust reposed in Sri Lanka at the 28th Session and agreeing to defer the release of the Report of the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka. The time granted by the Council gave the Government much needed space to begin implementing its reform agenda, renew its engagement with the international community, including the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and his Office, and start taking steps aimed at achieving meaningful reconciliation, strengthening democratic institutions, good governance, the rule of law, and confidence building among communities affected by conflict for many years.
Sixty-two eminent persons around the world called on the UN Human Rights Council to establish an international independent judicial process under the auspices of the UN to investigate the mass atrocities committed at the final stages of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka in 2009, in an open letter to the UNHRC released on Monday. Stating that "the factors which led the HRC to conclude that an international inquiry was necessary have not changed", the group of academics, researchers and public figures added that "even with the best intentions in the world the Sri Lankan government is not capable of running a credible domestic inquiry into alleged crimes of its own forces." "It is certainly not capable of mounting a judicial process which would have that essential quality: the trust of the victims."
The Second Deputy Chief Minister of Penang in Malaysia reiterated calls for an international probe into the killing of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians during the final stages of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict. "It is not justifiable to have own probe against those who were responsible (for the massacres)” said P Ramasamy, as he arrived in Coimbatore on Sunday. “It should be conducted by an International agency," he told reporters. His comments came ahead of Sri Lanka being discussed at the opening of the 30th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
Efforts to seize privately owned land in Jaffna for the needs of soldiers have been disrupted by fierce opposition from landowners and locals. Surveyors were forced to suspend their efforts to measure the area in Koppay, after the landowners denied them access onto their properties, with the support of neighbours and local politicians. Around 10 acres of land belonging to 28 families has been earmarked for landgrabbing for military purposes including the building of a new army camp.
Speaking at the 30th session of the UN Human Rights Council, British Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire has reiterated their expectance of a credible accountability mechanism and that Sri Lanka will take forward recommendations made in the OHCHR report, which will be published this week. Highlighting several countries' human rights abuses, Mr Swire concluded his statement with Sri Lanka, saying, "[To] end on a more positive note - in Sri Lanka, we commend the newly elected government for beginning to address post-conflict accountability and reconciliation. "I listened closely to Foreign...
The United States says it will engage with Sri Lanka in developing a resolution which will help the country achieve a "meaningful and credible" accountability mechanism. Speaking at the opening day of the 30th UN Human Rights Council session, the US also said it will assist Sri Lanka in addressing important findings of the OHCHR report on its investigation into mass atrocities in Sri Lanka, to be released later this week. "We eagerly anticipate the release of the report on Sri Lanka," the statement said. "The United States will engage with the government of Sri Lanka with the objective to...