UN human rights chief presses for investigation into alleged abuses in Sri Lanka war
March 27, 2014: Stressing the need to ensure justice and accountability, the United
Nations human rights chief on Wednesday, called for the establishment of an independent
and credible investigation into alleged violations committed in 2009 during the final
phase of the conflict in Sri Lanka.
“This is essential to advance the right
to truth for all in Sri Lanka and create further opportunities for justice, accountability
and redress,” High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in her address to
the 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council, which wraps up this Friday in Geneva.
The
Sri Lankan Government declared victory over the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) in May 2009, after a conflict that had raged on and off for nearly three decades
and killed thousands of people. The final months of the conflict had generated concerns
about alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.
The
47-member Council is expected to take action during its current session on a draft
resolution on the establishment of an inquiry into the alleged violations. “Almost
five years since the end of the conflict, it is important for the Human Rights Council
to recall the magnitude and gravity of the violations alleged to have been committed
at that time by the Government and the LTTE, which left thousands of civilians killed,
injured or missing,” said Ms. Pillay. She noted that in recent years, the Government
has established various mechanisms with the task to investigate past violations. “But
none have had the independence to be effective or inspire confidence among victims
and witnesses,” she stated. At the same time, new evidence continues to emerge, and
witnesses are willing to come forward to testify before international mechanisms in
which they have confidence and which can guarantee their protection, the High Commissioner
added. “This shows that an international inquiry is not only warranted, but also
possible, and can play a positive role in eliciting new information and establishing
the truth where domestic inquiry mechanisms have failed.” Ms. Pillay also reported
that the Government has not responded positively to the repeated offers from her office
() of technical assistance on specific elements that could advance the accountability
and reconciliation agenda. The High Commissioner said she is also “disturbed” by the
continued harassment and intimidation targeting human rights defenders in Sri Lanka,
even while the Council’s session has been underway, including the detention last week
of two prominent non-governmental organization activists undertaking human rights
work. “We welcome their release. We are, however, concerned at their continued
surveillance and the restrictions under which they have been placed,” she stated.
The Council has in the past called on the Sri Lankan Government to take credible steps
to ensure accountability for alleged serious violations committed during the final
months of the conflict. A three-member panel of experts – established to advise
the UN Secretary-General on accountability issues during the civil war – found there
were credible reports that both Government forces and the LTTE committed war crimes
during that period. It recommended that the Government respond to the allegations
by initiating an effective accountability process starting with genuine investigations. (Source:
UN)