U.N. rights chief slams abuses in Sri Lanka, Iran

(March 5, 2010) Human rights abuses in Sri Lanka are damaging prospects for reconciliation after 25 years of civil war and a violent crackdown on dissent in Iran is deeply worrying, the top U.N. human rights official said on Thursday. Repeating her call for an independent investigation into war crimes allegations in Sri Lanka, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told the U.N.'s Human Rights Council she was singling out outstanding cases in different countries. In a speech presenting her annual report, Pillay said the opportunity for peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka was marred by the treatment of journalists, human rights defenders and other critics of the government. On the situation in Iran, the U.N. rights chief said she had talked with the country’s officials about the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran, which is seeking a seat on the council, and suggested her office should visit the country. Demonstrators, rights activists, journalists and prominent politicians had received harsh sentences, including capital punishment, for their role in protests after the disputed election last year following questionable trials, she said. She also mentioned rights abuses in Sudan and Egypt.