Human rights of every citizen must be respected. It is a crime to violate the human rights of the citizens. It is the duty of a legitimate government to preserve and protect the human rights of its citizens.

These are the core concepts contained in the Human Rights Charter of the UNO. Human Rights Day is celebrated all over the world. The big question in our country is whether the Sri Lankan government has a moral right to celebrate this great day.

It is true that the Sri Lanka is a member country that has laid its signature on the human rights charter. Recently the government of Sri Lanka has created a separate ministry for human rights and appointed a minister as its head. It is also true that a Human Rights Commission has been functioning in this country for a few years.

But, can the country claim that it has made any progress in preserving and protecting the human rights of the citizens of this country. It is true that there are laws to protect human rights but every successive government in this country has cleverly enacted laws to supersede the human rights laws to deprive the ordinary man of his rights.

The Emergency Regulations and the Prevention of Terrorism Act are two examples of the draconian legislations that deny the citizens of their democratic and human rights in this country. The successive governments of Sri Lanka have been clever in enacting oppressive legislation enabling civil and military officials to deny the citizens of their legitimate rights under the pretext of combating terrorism.

The government of Sri Lankan has gained notoriety in suppressing the human rights of the Tamil people not only in times of war but also in times of peace. When the government is confronted with accusations of human rights violations by the international community, they cleverly dismiss them as baseless allegations.

In the month of May, the EU proposed to bring a resolution condemning the Lankan government for human rights violations at the human rights council. But the government made these countries to believe that it would take necessary steps to contain human rights violations. It was on this under taking by the government that the proposal was postponed for three months.

In a significant recognition of the deterioration of the security and human rights situation in Sri Lanka, the UK Home Office announced on 08/12/2006 that Sri Lanka is to be removed from the ‘white list’ of countries deemed safe.

The Sri Lankan Government has denied contention made by Allen Rock that children are abducted by paramilitary groups and engaged in violent confrontation. But the Human Rights Watch has challenged the government saying that it has evidence to prove the engagement of child soldiers.

The UN political charter recognizes the right to self determination but the Sri Lankan government refuses to recognize that right. It is high time that the international community addressed its mind on this issue.

An English translation of the Editorial in Uthayan, a Tamil daily, based in Jaffna

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