HRC puts pressure on Govt. over rights abuses

Strong call to end the prevailing culture of impunity

The Human Rights Council (HRC) on Monday expressed concern over the Sri Lankan Government’s failure to address the grave deteriorating human rights abuses in the country, and the prevailing sense of impunity.

Delegates who represented the Council, concluding its general debate on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka and Darfur, were hard on both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government for failing to put an end to the rights abuses.

Portugal’s Francisco Xavier Esteves who made a statement on behalf of the European Union was exceptionally hard on the Sri Lankan security forces who he alleged have been behind the reported increase of abuses. Esteves also demanded action against the perpetrators.

Lukas Machon, of International Commission of Jurists, said that the renewed violations by security forces and serious abuses by the LTTE demanded insistent condemnation. The Human Rights Council should pressurise the Government of Sri Lanka to agree to establish a human rights presence.

Switzerland’s Blaise Godet, emphasised that the culture of impunity in Sri Lanka required attention. “National mechanisms were having difficulty dealing with the human rights challenges and Switzerland hopes the High Commissioner would be able to visit the most troubled regions to assess the situation,” Godet said.

Germany touched on the continuing widespread lack of safety for humanitarian aid workers in the country.

Netherlands called on Sri Lanka to end the culture of impunity and investigate all abuses fully.

Peter Splinter of Amnesty International said that the deteriorating conditions in Sri Lanka were of concern. He was of the view that the government’s denial of the gravity of the situation did not help the improvement of the situation.

Nimalka Fernando of International Movement against all Forms of Discrimination and Racism, emphasising that Sri Lanka had been under emergency regulation most of the time since 1971, giving rise to a culture of impunity among the police force. The HRC should be aware of the plight of human rights and humanitarian concerns in Sri Lanka, she said.

However, Dayan Jayatilleka, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, reacting to the statements made by the delegates declared that the citizens of Sri Lanka had always been cared for by the government. “It would be stretching the imagination that others would care more for them than Sri Lankans themselves. Sri Lankans were fighting for the cause of reuniting their country. They did not believe in neutrality and did not need lectures of those who did. The Office of the High Commissioner should not become the office of a new East-Indian Company and the matter of setting up a regional human rights office in Sri Lanka was a matter for the Sri Lankans only,” he said.