Sri Lanka: “Critical elements in the protection of human rights in Sri Lanka have been underminedâ€:
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Sunday, 14 October 2007 |
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Concluding her five-day mission to Sri Lanka on Saturday the UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour has said that the critical elements in the protection of human rights in Sri Lanka have been undermined or compromised despite the country have many necessary institutional infrastructure.
She also expressed serious doubts over the investigations over rights violations in the country saying that it was hard to see how this will come to an end in the absence of “more vigorous investigations, prosecutions and convictions” The UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour in a statement issued at the end of her five-day mission to Sri Lanka said that the critical elements in the protection of human rights in Sri Lanka have been undermined or compromised even though the country have the most of the necessary infrastructure.
Expressing her dissatisfaction over the actions taken by the Sri Lankan government to curb the human rights violations the commissioner said. "While the Government pointed to several initiatives it has taken to address these issues, there has yet to be an adequate and credible public accounting for the vast majority of these incidents," Ms. Louise Arbour said."In the absence of more vigorous investigations, prosecutions and convictions, it is hard to see how this will come to an end." She added.The Human Rights Commissioner also commented on the country’s failure to use the existing infrastructure to prevent human rights violations.
"While Sri Lanka has much of the necessary human rights institutional infrastructure, critical elements of protection have been undermined or compromised. … The Government's proposed legislation to address this problem, tabled this week in Parliament only partially addresses the issues and risks confusing further the status of different rights in national law," she said. Ms. Louise Arbour also urged the Sri Lankan government to ratify the new international Convention for Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the Rome Treaty creating the International Crime Court, considering the documented violations of international humanitarian law in the country.
Ms. Arbour lamented that she was unable to visit kilinochchi and the eastern province. "I regret that time did not permit me to visit the Eastern Province. I also regret that I did not have the opportunity to visit Kilinochchi” she said. The High Commissioner also expressed her concern over the rights violations of the paramilitary groups.
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