Human rights defenders in Northern Sri Lanka have been arrested, detained, and threatened. This has coincided with the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva considering a resolution calling for an international investigation into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka. Prominent Sri Lankan human rights activist Balendran Jeyakumari, was arrested along with her teenaged daughter in Kilinochchi, Northern Sri Lanka on 13 March. Officials confirmed that she has been detained by the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) at the Boosa Detention Centre. Her daughter was later turned over to the Department of Probation and Child Care Services.

"As the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva was discussing the clauses of its resolution on Sri Lanka, the Colombo government used troops and special laws to arrest human rights defenders (HRDs) in the northern part of the country last week. It is ironic that while the Sri Lanka Government decided to beef-up militarisation in the former warzones and arrest activists, the UNHRC agreed to delete the word “demilitarisation” from its draft resolution."

Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister GL Peiris said in parliament on Wednesday that Sri Lanka could have easily avoided action at the UN Human Rights Council, if it had given in to international pressure, but that they cannot give in due to “national pride”.

He said that Sri Lanka would never accept an international inquiry and compromise the sovereignty of its people, and although countries like the US, the UK or blocs like the EU could impose sanctions on Sri Lanka, this was unlikely.

Photo: Tamil Guardian

A new report, to be launched on Friday in London, will reveal systematic torture and sexual violence, perpetrated by Sri Lankan security forces, the author of the report Yasmin Sooka said at an event on the sidelines of the 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

The report titled, “An Unfinished War: torture and sexual violence in Sri Lanka”, uses sworn affidavits from 40 victims, 20 men and 20 women, who testified their experience of abduction, torture, rape and sexual violence, majority of which occurred in 2013/14, and focuses on “white van” abductions, arbitrary detention, torture, rape and sexual violence in the post-war period.

Amnesty International’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Peter Splinter, said,

An event hosted by NGOs on the sidelines of the 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council examined issues of gender based violence in an ethnocracy, in the context of Sri Lanka.

The event, hosted by the Society of Threatened Peoples (STP), Tamils against Genocide (TAG), TRIAL, The Sentinel Project, CNRJ and Sri Lanka Advocacy, started with a statement by Kelebone Skelemani, read out by the moderator of the panel, Theodor Rathgeber. Others on the panel were Jan Jananayagam of TAG, Angela Mattli of STP, Anna Gall of the European Centre for Constitutional Rights, and Ananthy Sasitharan, a TNA councillor in the northern province of Sri Lanka.

Ms. Skelemani, the former Deputy Permanent Secretary in the ministries of health, trade and home affairs in Botswana, said the debate “Sri Lanka: Torture, Sexual Violence in a context of Ethnicity and Failed Domestic Processes”, came at an “opportune time”, as it complemented the ongoing efforts by the UN to find a permanent solution to problems facing Sri Lanka.

“The report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights […] concludes, among others, that human rights violations in Sri Lanka continue unabated,” she said.

“The same report also concludes that even where the Government has launched initiatives and established mechanisms such as military courts of enquiry, the initiatives lack independence to be effective and to inspire confidence.”

Two of the three activists detained in Kilinochchi, Ruki Fernando and Father Praveen were reportedly released late last night.

Whilst government reports have alleged the two were released on bail, the prominent Sri Lankan human rights activist, Ruki Fernando accused the government of spreading false information in order to prevent them from traveling abroad.

Speaking to the Uthayan on his release, Mr. Fernando said,

"Although we were released unconditionally, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims we are released on bail. This is false information. The Foreign Affairs Ministry released such info to prevent us from traveling abroad and telling the truth. Although we are released, a veiled threat continues against us."