The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has expressed its disappointment at the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) for its continuing silence on the deepening humanitarian and human rights crises in Sri Lanka.
“The CMAG has shown short-sightedness in not also formally reviewing the situation in Sri Lanka. Despite many calls, including a protest held outside its meeting chambers in London (on March 4), the forum made no mention of the urgent situation of embattled civilians in Sri Lanka,” said Lucy Mathieson, the programme coordinator for Human Rights Advocacy Programme of CHRI, which is an independent, non-partisan, international non-governmental organisation, mandated to ensure the practical realisation of human rights in the Commonwealth.
Mentionable that the CMAG is a body of nine ministers and mandated to monitor Commonwealth member compliance or lack thereof with Commonwealth principles contained within the Harare Declaration. Moreover, it is assigned to check persistent violations of the ‘Fundamental Values and Principles of the Commonwealth,’ including democracy and human rights.
Contrary to the norm that limits each country to two-consecutive sittings, Sri Lanka is currently serving its third consecutive two-year term. Sri Lanka‘s membership has become particularly controversial as its own credentials as a guardian of these values become increasingly questionable, Lucy Mathieson added.
Sri Lanka is in the midst of a humanitarian disaster. Thousands of displaced civilians (of the minority Tamil community) are being left to choose between the risk of death by military strikes or facing uncertain futures in allegedly unsafe detention facilities.
During 2008, Sri Lanka lost its bid for re-election at the UN Human Rights Council in the face of numerous allegations of human rights abuses. Moreover, the government of Sri Lanka has adopted a consistent pattern of denying its responsibility to protect its civilians. In recent years, Sri Lanka has been facing a growing condition of general impunity buttressed by numerous allegations of human rights violations across the country.
A string of disappearances, arrests, uninvestigated murders and assaults involving dissenters, well known journalists and human rights advocates, sometimes in full view of the public, sometimes within tightly monitored high security zones operated by the government, are indicative of a pattern of human rights violation, intolerance, suppression and impunity, a statement of CHRI added.
It also claimed that by not respecting the independence of its institutions and not allowing independent observation and international organizations into the conflict area, the CMAG has repeatedly used fighting terrorism as a justification for systematically destroying fundamental freedoms in Sri Lanka.
On the other hand, Colombo appears to have turned a deaf ear to the Commonwealth’s official statement of 2005, that measures to combat terrorism must have regard for fundamental human rights and the rule of law.
The CHRI at the end of the day continues reiterating its call to the International community (Commonwealth in particular), to take immediate notice of the situation in northern Sri Lanka in order to ensure the safety and security of civilians, uphold democracy and the rule of law, and to promote and protect human rights in the island nation.
|
|
Comments:
