Thu. Mar 28th, 2024
UN Human Rights CouncilImage Credits: UN news

The United Nations Human Rights Council on September 6th renewed its mandate to collect and preserve evidence of alleged wartime human rights crimes in Sri Lanka. This is despite opposition from Sri Lanka and its allies like China.

The resolution follows a report released by the United Nations High Commissioner in the month of September, addressing the causes of the financial crisis “including impunity for human rights violations and economic crimes,” by officials.

Although the US, Canada, and Britain, along with others, pushed the resolution and got it passed by 20 votes in favor, there were several votes against it from those who favored the island nation’s viewpoint.

As the foreign minister, Ali Sabry, said: “Sri Lanka categorically rejects the resolution presented without our consent, despite our efforts to engage with the main sponsors.”

“We strongly object to the resolution pronouncing on domestic, economic, and financial policy matters,” he added.

“Solutions to economic and financial crises faced today by many countries will not be found in the mandate, instruments, and expertise of this council.”

As reported by Reuters, China, a strategic ally of Sri Lanka, voted against the resolution at the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, referring to it as the “politicization” of human rights issues.

The resolution

It renews the mandate of the UN agency to observe Sri Lanka’s progress towards establishing a credible investigation into the alleged war crimes committed during the civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which ended in 2009.

In addition, the resolution calls for the Lankan government to probe and prosecute former and current public officials who allegedly triggered the most severe financial crisis in the island nation in more than seven decades and jeopardized the livelihoods of millions of citizens.

Additionally, the resolution mandates that the UN rights agency prepare a comprehensive report for release in 2024, giving Sri Lanka two years to meet its obligations regarding rights. (Aljazeera)

Rights groups like Amnesty International upholds the UN resolution, but said more needed to be done.

Dinushika Dissanayake, Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, said: “The adoption of the UN Human Rights Council’s resolution reflects the need for continuing international scrutiny of Sri Lanka.”

 

(with inputs from different media agencies)

One thought on “The UN Human Rights Council 51; resolution points to Sri Lanka’s war crimes and economic crimes”
  1. The politicians will not admit that the armed forces committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. They praise Sinhala army of defeating a “terrorist out” at heavy cost. To put them on trial for war crimes will be self-destructive. But the UNHRC should go after the perpetrators of war crimes and put them on trial. There is sufficient evidence in the form of video clips, photos which show dead bodies of LTTE cadres who surrendered to the army’s 58th division commanded by Shavendra Silva.
    The US has imposed sanctions on Sri Lanka’s chief of army staff, Lt Gen Shavendra Silva, for war crimes committed during the final stages of the conflict against the Tamil Tigers in 2009, when up to 40,000/ 70,000 Tamil civilians were killed.
    The US travel ban against Silva and his family marks the first time any of the leading suspects in the mass killings have been held accountable on the world stage.
    The sanctions come three months after the election of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has now resigned following an uprising by the people. He was the defence secretary during the brutal counterinsurgency. His victory increased fears there would be a return to impunity for war crimes, and a creeping erosion of human rights protections.

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