UN resolution upholds the need to maintain international scrutiny and seek justice and accountability
But more needs to be done says Amnesty International
COLOMBO –Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday (6) welcomed adoption of UN resolution on Sri Lanka as a step in the right direction, but said more needs to be done as the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has failed to respond to civil society demands for an expert mechanism to that could address the broad spectrum of human rights violations.
Responding to the resolution adopted on Thursday at the UNHRC in Geneva, which strengthens and extends the accountability mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, said the adoption of the resolution reflects the need for continuing international scrutiny on Sri Lanka.
“It is a welcome step in the right direction, but more needs to be done,” she said, noting that the Council had failed to respond to civil society demands for the establishment of an expert mechanism that could address the broad spectrum of human rights violations including those arising from the serious economic and political crisis that the country faces.
Dissanayake called on the Government of Sri Lanka to abide by the commitments it has made to the international community and ensure the effective operation of redressal bodies for human rights violations, such as the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, the Office on Missing Persons, the Office on Reparations, and the National Authority for the protection of Victims of a Crime and Witnesses, among others.
Dissanayake also urged all UN member states to increase international accountability in line with the recommendation made by the High Commissioner for Human Rights in her report, including through investigations and prosecutions under universal jurisdiction and, where possible, by referring cases to the International Criminal Court.”
The resolution comes in the wake of damning reports by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Amnesty International and others, all of which reported violations of human rights during Sri Lanka’s response to the economic crisis and the authorities’ crackdown on protests.
Amnesty International has previously documented the catastrophic impact of the crisis on Sri Lankans’ economic and social rights and detailed violations of civil and political rights during the crisis.
The organization also sent a joint open letter to members of the UNHRC, calling on them to adopt a strong resolution on Sri Lanka that strengthens existing UN mandates on accountability.
-ENCL
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