Vote Sri Lanka off Human Rights Council, Nobel Prize Winners tell UN
May 19th, 2008
Update, May 21, 2008: Sri Lanka’s Defeat a Victory for Human Rights Council [HRW]
Statement by Human Rights Watch:
Winners of the Nobel Peace Prize from three continents called on UN members to reject Sri Lanka’s candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council, the NGO Coalition for an Effective Human Rights Council said today. Nobel laureates Desmond Tutu of South Africa, Adolfo Perez Esquivel of Argentina, and Jimmy Carter of the United States each published statements urging opposition to Sri Lanka because of its abusive human rights record. Elections to the 47-member council, the United Nations’ leading human rights body, will be held in New York on May 21, 2008. Six candidates-Bahrain, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Timor Leste are running for four seats allocated to Asian states. Council members are required to “uphold the highest standards” of human rights and “fully cooperate” with the council.
Bishop Desmond Tutu
The Nobel Peace Prize 1984
In a commentary published by The Guardian in London, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa charged that “the systematic abuses by Sri Lankan government forces are among the most serious imaginable,” citing widespread torture and extrajudicial killings. “Governments owe it to Sri Lankan human rights victims and to victims of human rights abuses around the world to ensure that the Sri Lankan bid fails,” Tutu declared. Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his leadership of the campaign to end apartheid in South Africa.
Adolfo Perez Esquivel
The Nobel Peace Prize 1980
In a commentary published by Pagina 12 in Buenos Aires, Adolfo Perez Esquivel compared the routine torture and the hundreds of “disappearances” and extrajudicial killings committed by Sri Lankan government forces to the “dirty wars” waged by various Latin American governments against their own citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. “As Latin Americans know all too well, there are few crimes more horrible for a government to commit than summarily removing its own citizens from their homes and families, often late at night, never to be heard from again,” declared Esquivel. “Latin American governments can do a great service to the people of Sri Lanka by rejecting their government’s candidacy for the Human Rights Council.” Esquivel won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1980 for his opposition to the “disappearances,” extrajudicial killings, and torture used by the military government of Argentina in combating domestic terrorists.
Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.), thirty-ninth president of the United States The Nobel Peace Prize 2002
Former US President Jimmy Carter observed that the UN established membership standards for the Human Rights Council in 2006 so that it would be “led by countries with a greater commitment to human rights.” A statement released by the Carter Center in Atlanta “calls on the General Assembly not to re-elect Sri Lanka to the Human Rights Council,” citing “the country’s deteriorating human rights record since its first election to the Council in 2006.” Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his work to resolve international conflicts, advance democracy and human rights, and promote economic and social development.
The Nobel laureates added their voices to the Sri Lankan and international campaigns against the re-election of Sri Lanka to the council. Human rights organizations within Sri Lanka urged UN members to “hold the Sri Lankan government accountable for the grave state of human rights abuse in the country” by rejecting its candidacy, observing it “has used its membership of the Human Rights Council to protect itself from scrutiny.”
A coalition of more than 20 nongovernmental organizations from all regions of the world wrote to UN members to oppose Sri Lanka’s re-election to the council, citing its government for a wide range of serious abuses, including hundreds of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, widespread torture, and arbitrary detention. The website established by the NGO Coalition for an Effective Human Rights Council detailed how Sri Lanka rejects the recommendations of UN human rights experts, harshly attacks senior UN officials who report on human rights issues, and has refused to engage in serious discussions to allow international human rights monitoring.
The coalition noted in its letter that the armed separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have long been implicated in serious human rights abuses, but says this provides no justification for government abuses. The abuses in Argentina opposed by Esquivel were committed by that government in the name of combating extreme domestic terrorist organizations.
In 2007, a coalition of NGOs successfully opposed the candidacy of Belarus for the Human Rights Council.
“Cheers went up amongst human rights defenders around the world when Belarus was defeated,” said Hassan Shire Sheikh of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project in Uganda. “This year’s election provides an opportunity for African states to send a strong signal, following up on the defeat of Belarus. The Human Rights Council must stand with the victims, not become an abusers’ club.”
To read the letter from the NGO coalition to the UN Human Rights Council, opposing Sri Lanka’s candidacy, please visit: http://www.hrw.org/effectiveHRC/SriLanka/INGOletter.html
To read more about the Sri Lanka campaign, please visit: http://www.hrw.org/effectiveHRC/SriLanka
[HRW News]
Entry Filed under: NGO Report
12 Comments Add your own
1. Ratnam Ganesh | May 19th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
People and organisations of international reputation are of opinion that Sri lankan Govt. commits Human rights violations. While they openly accept LTTE as a Terrorist Grp.Why don’t they accept the state terrorism.Human rights violations amount to terrorism.Why is that they do not raise their voice against the moral and fiancial support given by the various countries that support the Govt.? They also should force the Govt.to come up with a proposal towards a solution, so that Sri Lankans can face the LTTE and ask them to sit down and find a solution.
2. Jack Ranasinghe | May 20th, 2008 at 3:43 am
Another chapter in Heladiva’s glorious history…
3. Kaavalan | May 20th, 2008 at 9:00 am
It will be interesting to see whether the shameless and unconscionable government of Mahindapala Rajapakse will take any notice of the downgrading that’s expected due to not winning the re-election to the human rights council.
4. Sam Thambipillai | May 20th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Nobel Prize winners from the three regions are absolutely right. The Human rights situation is deteriorating further in Sri Lanka.
in the recently concluded Eastern Provincial Council election, massive intimidation and mass rigging by the armed TMVP cadres is reported. TNA, the major actor in the East boycotted the election.
What has beeen revealed in the elections is that the Sinhala nation (SN) and their political parties are still hell bent on ramming their will unilaterally on the Tamils of the East. there is deterioration in human rights instead of improvement.
The SN has proved yet again that it has no “character”. It does not value truthfulness, fairness and honesty. Character is not valued much in this region. Human rights are grossly violated in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India values money more than character ! India is an accopmlice and silent supporter of Sri Lanka in its Human Rights violations.
Mahinda Rajapakse promised the position of Chief Minister to the Tamil speaking-religo group obtaining the maximum number of seats. But Hisbulla was denied that position unfairly. Promises are meant to kept, but promises are meant to be broken with Tamils ! A slave can be cheated. He has no right is the attitude.
TMVP has surrendered spirit, soul and body to UPFA. A surrendered party cannot be expected at all to get any of its policy fulfilled by its master. A slave is a slave. SN never ever honoured agreements with Tamils. It is not in their culture. What we see in the list of TMVP is the usual deceptive rhetoric.
SN being cynical about Eelam is to be cynical about reality. An island with two governments is being accepted and recommended as the only viable and workable solution now.
An eminent internantional ex-jurist from Australia presented a paper last week in Wales, requesting the International Community to seriously and quickly implement such a policy of two government for Sri Lanka.
Therefore, Sri Lanka should be voted out of the prestigous United Nations Human Rights Council. If the situation does not improve after such a punishment, the UN should expel Sri Lanka from the General Council of the UN, as it happened to former South Africa.
5. ananda | May 20th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
People are dreaming. They are commenting in there own field. Human rights Council Moniterd only third world country situation. media people can anlized everythnig either good or bad. thousnd of people killing from terrist organisation’s bombing. why they not talking about that? Those are all innocent people. Thousands of cildren soldires involving with these terrist organisation.people are never talking about that ,Why are them not talking about that? blind!!! Many people are Proposing many things ,Who They are living in another country.
6. Chennai_Analyst | May 20th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Tamils have to bow to President Carter, Rev. Tutu and Senor Esquivel for telling the UN not to admit the Racist Singalas into the UN Human Rights Council. As a Tamil from Chennai, I am ashamed of the H(i)ndians for their support to the Singalas.
7. Athos | May 20th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Don’t you worry, Keerthi is waiting to do a multi-prong attack on the east. It will all be ok after that.
8. Devinda Fernando | May 21st, 2008 at 1:17 am
Who Cares? The UN is a Defunct Worthless organization that is Fat and Bloated with Incompetence and a Lack of Grip of reality.
I say why even contest it. Let them kick Sri Lanka off. UN Aid comes with too much Political baggage. Once we take care of the Terrorist Problem the Investment dollars will be flooding in.
We Don’t Need the UN, and we definitely don’t need to take any orders from these Bleeding Heart westerners and their Delusional perception of world politics and War.
9. Sam Muthukumaran | May 21st, 2008 at 4:03 am
I totally agree with Mr. Sam Thmbipillai.
What he mentioned is a fact nothing but the fact.
Good work!!! Sam
10. Murugesu Thiru | May 21st, 2008 at 6:10 am
The Presidential inquiries failed. Reason not enough funds to proceed with the inquiry.The Indian Chief Justice went back saying “Truth cannot be extracted”. Whatever the outcome - the tears & blood of innocent will continue to wet the soil of this Country. Abductions, extortions, Killings, continue. Yes - there is always some excuse - a believable lie - that can save the skin of the politicos.
11. V Siva | May 21st, 2008 at 7:37 am
Is is shame that when the international leaders show their anger against Apartheid and racist Sinhala regime, the Indians failed to be fair.
12. ilaya seran senguttuvan | June 2nd, 2008 at 9:04 am
Ratnam Ganesh (1) The word “Terrorist” used in the Lankan context is meaningless. Are those men of the State militia who slaughtered the 15 unarmed French NGO workers in Trinco not the worst form of Terrorists? And those who did to death those young boys in the Trinco beach in execution style - after extinguishing the electric lights and forcing over 200 people to kneel - not Terrorists? Why does not the local Press and indeed the international media tell the world the Dehiwala train blast and the Malabe bus bombing took place hours after Tamil children, women etc were slaughtered in the Wanni?
I am not suggesting an eye-for-an-eye or tit-for-tat while dealing with human lives - no matter Sinhala, Muslim or Tamil. But is it not true almost every “Terrorist” attack from the Tamil side - including that of July 83 at Tinnevli -is usually a response to a brutal and lethal attack on innocent Tamils? I am afraid the international stricture on GoSL at Geneve is one of the many that will follow for the hundreds of crimes Lankan armed forces have carried out against Tamil civilians. Just don’t waste time insulting Carter, Bisop Tutu and Esquivel. Do Lankans realise their lovely country is now in the middle of total bankruptcy not because of the LTTE and the war. Because of the mass stealing by those in power in the name of the war - that has still not ceased. It shall’nt be long before the people are forced to learn we have no money to finance our immediate food bills. When this comes CBK will be in her mini Palace in London, the Rajapakses in their mansions in L.A. but Somapala and Suppiah will be left scratching the earth for their next meal. Already the Govt is hinting people must grow their own food - have you noticed?
That is what our politicians in the past few decades have done to this our country. They have made us a basket-case and a land and peope to be scorned by the rest of the world.
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