The United Nations Human Rights Commission’s report which makes further indictments on Sri Lanka, will be debated at the Human Rights Council’s 49th sessions on March.
The report was forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo, through UN channels last Monday, was studied by officials.
The report delves at length with the Government’s failure to make changes to the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to meet international standards. The UNHRC is not pleased with the amendments that are now pending before Parliament and is displeased that necessary changes have not been effected despite repeated assurances by the Government.
There will be no voting at the UNHRC’s 49th sessions which begin on next week. However, the meeting is a precursor to another Resolution on Sri Lanka in September, this year.
Other highlights in the report include:
- Last year’s resolution called for an end to military involvement in civilian activities. It noted that the past year has seen a deepening and accelerating militarisation of civilian government functions.
- Further widening of space for civil society, including independent media.
- Ethnic religious tensions
- The UNHRC has identified many individual information items already held by the UN. It would analyse giving a criminal justice perspective with a view to identifying groups and priorities for further information collection.
- Reference on targeted sanctions against individuals with the instances of action by the US Department of State being mentioned. Further progress in this regard is expected to be reported in September this year; and co-operate with the OHCHR investigative mechanisms.
