Amnesty International has called on the UN and the Commonwealth to respond effectively to the concerns raised by UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay after her visit to Sri Lanka.
“Navi Pillay’s take on the human rights situation during her visit very muchechoes our own findings. Being critical of government policy in Sri Lanka is highly risky, and the extent to which people are being harassed into silence is shocking”, said Polly Truscott, Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia Pacific Director in a statement released on Saturday.See full statement here.
“We’re glad that Navi Pillay got a chance to meet some victims and families of the disappeared. But the reprisals against those she met, doesn’t bode well for the Commonwealth Summit set for November in Colombo.”
“The Sri Lankan conflict may have ended in 2009, but the level of human rights violations in the country remains critically high. The Sri Lankan government still shows no real will to account for past crimes, combined with new attacks on those calling for accountability.”
“There is still every need for the UN to set up an independent international investigation into crimes under international law in Sri Lanka, as Pillay has called for in the past.”
“The UN and Commonwealth must respond effectively to these latest concerns raised by Pillay” said Truscott.