Below is the video of today’s panel discussion at the Geneva Press Club. The speakers were, in order:

14:59 GMT

The British Prime Minister David Cameron said today that he had "secured the full backing of all the EU" in favour of an UNHRC resolution calling for accountability in Sri Lanka, due to be voted on next week.

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.