Prompted by civil society,
11th Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council on human rights situation
in Sri Lanka was held on 26-27 May 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland. FORUM-ASIA
delivered a statement on the second day, highlighting the lack of access to
internally displaced persons camps and increase of "uninvestigated
killings and disappearances".
Prompted by civil society,
11th Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council on human rights situation
in Sri Lanka was held on 26-27 May 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland. FORUM-ASIA
delivered a statement on the second day, highlighting the lack of access to
internally displaced persons camps and increase of "uninvestigated
killings and disappearances".
Thank you, Mr. President.
FORUM-ASIA believes that it
is more than timely that the Special Session is taking place with the armed
conflict having come to an end. The situation now demands greater attention and
scrutiny at this critical juncture which should be the moment for us to explore
forward-looking, durable and constructive ways together to re-establish long
lasting peace and human rights in Sri Lanka.
Mr. President, acknowledging
the commitment of the Government of Sri Lanka to resettle the internally
displaced persons (IDPs) within 180 days, we still would like to highlight that
the present conditions within the IDP camps remain to be of grave concern.
Access of humanitarian agencies, media and civil society actors to the camps are
severely restricted, instead the displaced are living in a climate of
uncertainty and trauma. The Government of Sri Lanka must live up to its
commitment made during this Special Session towards relief, resettlement and
rehabilitation of the displaced. In doing so, the Government should create an
environment in which aid workers, medical personnel, media and human rights
defenders are free to carry out their own mandate. In this respect, we urge the
Government of Sri Lanka to ensure the safety and release of those three doctors
who were providing care and assistance and informed the world about the human
tragedies that were taking place in the conflict zone.
Mr. President, the concerns
of the Human Rights Council must not be confined to the humanitarian situation
alone. The deep rooted issues of discrimination and impunity have been allowed
to continue unabated throughout the decades. Those wishing to speak out against
the practice and policies of the Government, in particular the media and
journalists have been subjected to intimidation, harassment and threats to their
lives. There has been a sharp increase of uninvestigated killings and
disappearances of journalists, media workers, human rights defenders and
religious personalities. In order to enable enhanced scrutiny, sustainable human
rights monitoring and effective implementation of technical cooperation
programmes, the strengthened presence of the Office of the UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights
(OHCHR) in Sri
Lanka, including
through the establishment of a field office should be seriously
considered.
Lastly, Mr. President, again
we emphasize that the outcome of this Special Session should reflect the crucial
need of access for humanitarian agencies to accurately assess the needs of the
displaced and document the testimonies of violations of international
humanitarian and human rights law committed during the conflict. This would be
along the lines as expressed in the joint statement of the Government of Sri
Lanka and the UN Secretary-General at the conclusion of the Secretary- General's
visit to Sri Lanka on 23 May 2009 where it reads "The Secretary-General
underlined the importance of an accountability process for addressing violations
of international humanitarian and human rights law. The Government will take
measures to address those grievances". Investigations are crucial for truth and
reconciliation and to restore the dignity of victims. Thank you, Mr.
President.
(Photo courtesy of the UN)
