Sri Lanka's Human Rights Record To Be Reviewed Today
Sri Lanka's human rights record is due to be reviewed before the UN Human Rights Committee today and tomorrow (7 and 8 October) and the list of issues that are to be discussed before the 18-member Committee includes counter terrorism measures, accountability as well as rights of persons belonging to minorities.
The review of the human rights record of Sri Lanka is being carried out for the fifth time before the Committee that comprises of 18 independent experts and the dialogue that has been scheduled to be carried out tomorrow and the day after between the Committee members and the Sri Lankan delegation would discuss a wide range of issues to which includes allegations that have been leveled against the government in terms of violation freedom of expression, assembly and association.
Several reports submitted by NGOs on Sri Lanka's human rights situation is also due to be discussed however, many of them do not seem to contain content favourable to Sri Lanka. The report submitted by the International Society for Human Rights for example has noted that the 'human rights defenders and others working to promote truth, justice and accountability in relation to a UN estimated 40,000 civilian deaths in Sri Lanka in 2009 alone face a systematic pattern of threats, harassment, intimidation and violence. . .'
It has also shed light on the arbitrary arrests and detentions of human rights defenders, murders of journalists, crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression and association as well as intimidation, threats, reprisals and defamation of human rights defenders as 'traitors' by government officials and government affiliated media institutions.
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Taraki / October 7, 2014
Between what two dates? This is crucially important. Depending on the dates used one could show that the human rights records of the US, UK, France, Belgium, Russia, China, India, Saudi Arabia are far worse. To be fair and impartial, their human rights records should be compared alongside Sri Lanka's otherwise one might think this is the work of the LTTE diaspora and its friends.
AVB / October 7, 2014
Taraki,
Do the governments of countries you mentioned have been killing their own citizens without any judiciary processes? We have heard ugly incident in China in 2003, have you heard incidents in similar or larger scale after that from China?I don't remember hearing Saudi Arabia Kings murdering their own civilians in recent history…
In 1971, then Gov murdered thousands of unarmed Sinhalese youth without giving them any judicial rights. In 1988~89, those Gov killing of unarmed civilians without judicial processes had increased by tenfold. Then when it comes to SL Sinhalese Gov and Tamil separatist Tamil incidents., those gov killing has gone up exponentially.. Any civilised Sinhalese could deny that? Unless you S-Sinhalese Takaris couldn't see and understand what is happening under your own roof, civilised world should come forward and stop this ever increasing civilian murders by governments of Lanka…
In my own eyes, I have seen 10 beheaded bodies lined up near Jayathilake Hall in Pera Uni in 1989… Those were tactics democratic SL Gov used to teach lessons to radical/rebellion Sinhalese… Very unfortunately, stupid majority Takaris were brain washed to accept that was the correct way to stop rebels.. Whole country and indirectly whole world are still paying for these erroneous judgments….
Eusense / October 7, 2014
AVB,
In my opinion there shouldn't be any human rights to any terrorist. They are all out to kill innocent civilians and members of the armed forces who protect them. Be it suicide bombing, land mines or shooting they are out to kill. What human rights are you talking about for these murderers? The terrorists are in civilian clothes and use civilians as human shields. How do the security forces identify them and separate them to fight? If civilians are killed it is unfortunate. That is why the West calls it "collateral damage"! Are you saying that the security forces should lay down arms and retreat to their barracks because of civilian casualties? That means, according to you, as soon as a group of terrorist take up arms against a gov. it should hand over the country to them??? What stupidity got into your head AVB? Were you studying at Pera Uni or working in the campus?
Your scenario is a good example where how bad the gov. was to stop the rebels in 1989. Imagine the situation if they continued and took over the gov. Imagine the plight of democracy and even the plight of Tamils, the wealthy and the working class if they succeeded. Don't be short sighted. Even if you got your Elam do you think the Tamils will live happily ever after? Don't worry your Tamil politicians will be doing the same what the Sinhalese politicians are doing to this country.
"In my opinion there shouldn't be any human rights to any terrorist. They are all out to kill innocent civilians and members of the armed forces who protect them."
So do the state and armed forces.
"If civilians are killed it is unfortunate."
If a women gets beaten up by policeman in broad day light in a public place, you consider her as lucky because in the west hundreds of sex workers have ended up murdered by their clients, pimps and vigilantes.
This is a good logic of yours will stand you in good stead no matter what line of work you do.
"Even if you got your Elam do you think the Tamils will live happily ever after?"
Stop patronising them.
"Don't worry your Tamil politicians will be doing the same what the Sinhalese politicians are doing to this country."
If Tamil politicians did what Sinhalese politicians had done that is a problem for the Tamils to sort out, and not yours. Just get lost, go away, naff off, …………
vedda,
You keep quoting sentences from my post avoiding the preceding and post-ceding sentences misleading the readers.
You say "If civilians are killed it is unfortunate."! Did you read the sentences before and after which are related to this statement?
Are you trying to tell me that the security forces should lay down arms and retreat because of civilian casualties? So, according to you, as soon as a group of terrorist take up arms against any gov. it should hand over the country to them!!!
Stupidity at its highest!
You say,
"If a women gets beaten up by policeman in broad day light in a public place, you consider her as lucky because in the west hundreds of sex workers have ended up murdered by their clients, pimps and vigilantes"
I challenge you to show my entire post which imply what you say here. If you don't you are a sick lair!
Why on earth do you even think I am interested in sorting out your Tamil on Tamil problems? It is not my concern if they even kill each other!
Sama / October 8, 2014
Eusense, you should be rather EUNACH.. if I may say so..
U have always been – like twisting your tongue – cant know the basics of the right and wrong.. how come ? what went wrong with you Eunach ?
sama,
Why don't you say something constructive for the readers rather than meaningless garbage. Tell me what your "basics of the right and wrong".
Did you learn the meaning of EUNACH recently? What does that has to do with my post? Please explain. Otherwise I will have to call you a moron.
I woudl also be fallen to that level then.
Have you added anything constructive man? What BS have you been adding to this valuable forum ? Man i am aware of the meaning of eunachs having lived on the west for the last two decades. What I meant is you cant add any kind of sense related views regardless of the topic. That is what I always notice on this and other forums.
"No thanks" for what?
Reading your posts I see you appear to have nothing to contribute or lack the ability to counter other posts with facts. Are there any other level remaining for you to be fallen? Good that you don't respond with facts because if you did that will prove your intelligence – the lack of.
Taraki
"Depending on the dates used one could show that the human rights records of the US, UK, France, Belgium, Russia, China, India, Saudi Arabia are far worse."
In your proposed comparative study if Sri Lanka is found to have committed less war crimes and crimes against humanity as opposed to the other countries, would you recommend Sri Lanka to catch up with US, UK, France, Belgium, Russia, China, India, Saudi Arabia, …..?
Would your study also look into qualitative differences between the nature of home grown human rights violations compared to others. If parity is to be achieved in this race to the bottom, Sri Lanka must import new and improved torture equipment and also recently developed new techniques. I have no doubt Sri Lanka also has a lot to contribute to rest of the world in this respect.
How would you distinguish a good torture from a bad one?
Supun Jayawardhana / October 7, 2014
Do we have human rights in Srilanka under MR rule ?
So the result will be – let alone no basic human rights are safeguarded until country s representatives are being manhandled in compliance with Rajapakshe criminal guidelines
From the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) website:
"ISHR has monitored and criticised the human rights situation in many countries since its foundation in 1972. Several countries with a bad human rights record, especially the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China, Vietnam and North Korea have been under observation from the beginning. Cuba has been under observation since 1977. Unfortunately, there has always been every reason to criticise their human rights records."
Currently their website indicates that the ISHR is focused on human rights abuses in the USA's old enemy Cuba. Though it has links with the UN, the ISHR appears to have a selective focus on the Cold War enemies of the USA, as might be expected from their founding in 1972 (during the Vietnam War).
Ram / October 7, 2014
I wonder whether it is funded by the US embassy in Ceylon, as NO mention is made of the Human Rights failures of the NATO countries and the proxies.
Robert.R / October 7, 2014
That makes it alright to ignore the human rights violations of SL?
Pray why are you still in Australia? Come back and serve your motherland !
MirakRajBanda / October 7, 2014
Human Rights in Sri Lanka? You must be joking!!!!
It's in "sorry" form……
Antany Peter / October 7, 2014
Eventually, the Rajapaksas will face the music. It is impossible to fool all the people all the time.
len / October 9, 2014
And this from self proclaim Western hater who live in Wellington New Zealand. And keep writing hate speeches to Lanka Truth been fired form his last three jobs in New Zeland. Self proclaimed pseudo intellectual carbon copy of Dr.Mervin and threaten any one who disagree with him with violence. You will be exposed in New Zealand in the near future your hate speech writing against West including singling New Zealand and a how your group going to train Arabs to fight the Westerners.
tibs / October 9, 2014
Sylvia Haik / October 7, 2014
There is a gain made in some quarters in violating Human Rights. The worst protagonists are the superpowers and the wealthy nations. E.g. USA., Saudi Arabia etc. The poorer nations cannot always strictly abide by the Human Rights rules simply because they cannot afford it. In defeating the LTTE Sri Lanka might have stepped on some toes but compared to what the USA/UK did in Falujah, Iraq, this does not merit the UN obsession of investigating their Human Rights record or the passing of at least two adverse resolutions.
The UN obsession as you put it is being fuelled by the TGTE & LTTE abroad.
The West can atom bomb Japan (twice) and make out that it shortened WW2 and saved allied lives but a small impoverished island like Sri Lanka is not allowed this line of reasoning.
The US can bomb Vietnam and its people to hell with chemicals and call it 'police action to prevent the spread of communism' and stand up full of righteos indignation and accuse Saddam Hussein of gassing the Kurds.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/26/agent-orange-victims_n_3818562.html
It is all sheer hypocrisy.