SL among nations to retaliate against HR defenders: UN

22 September 2017 05:09 am - 18 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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UN Human Rights office revealed on Wednesday that Sri Lanka is among the 29 countries that have retaliated in the past year against human rights defenders who cooperate with the United Nations.

The report by the UN Secretary-General says individuals and groups have suffered reprisals and intimidation ranging from travel bans and asset-freezing to detention and torture.

“It is frankly nothing short of abhorrent that, year after year, we are compelled to present cases of intimidation and reprisals carried out against people whose crime – in the eyes of their Governments – was to cooperate with UN institutions and mechanisms,” said UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Andrew Gilmour, the senior UN official designated by the Secretary General to address the issue.

“We should see these individuals as the 'canary in the coal mine', bravely singing until they are silenced by this toxic backlash against people, rights and dignity – as a dark warning to us all,” Gilmour said, as he presented the report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

All the cases highlighted in the report occurred from June 2016 to May 2017 and involved individuals and groups which have cooperated with UN human rights mechanisms, used UN procedures, submitted communications under procedures established by human rights instruments, or provided legal or other assistance to other people. It also covers families or supporters of victims.

Gilmour told the Human Rights Council that the report was by no means exhaustive and the problem was much more widespread.

“Since this report is limited to reprisals against people cooperating with the UN, the cases covered in it represent only a small portion of a far more generalized backlash against civil society and others challenging State authorities, especially human rights defenders,” Gilmour said.

The report urges all States to stop reprisals, investigate existing allegations, provide effective remedies and adopt and implement measures to prevent recurrence. It says governments which have been challenged about the cases either did not reply or failed to address the concerns in the responses they provided.

Countries named in the report are Algeria, Bahrain, Burundi, China, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Honduras, India, Iran, Israel, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.

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Comments - 18

ceylon Thursday, 21 September 2017 10:21 PM

file a case against the president of sri kanka against his un civiliseness and brutality against the victims of crimes in lanka. via DM Android App

Nimal Friday, 22 September 2017 06:22 AM

you r right....but not the current leader

Kotiya Friday, 22 September 2017 07:22 AM

Get your head examined

BuffaloaCitizen Friday, 22 September 2017 08:59 AM

This is like calling on a monkey to protest against other monkeys.... generally does not happen.

SL Friday, 22 September 2017 06:38 AM

It comes when the dollar hungry defenders seemingly having different agendas and work under the guise of HR .People can distinguished the real tears and the crocodile tears.Those Right activities and their paymasters are having proven history about their appearance and real motive

malik Friday, 22 September 2017 11:33 AM

In A Nation like the USA, where a coloured person is constantly gunned down, and the perp get away with it, Not One Human Right defender willing to condemn the USA, Why?

daham Friday, 22 September 2017 07:36 AM

How bias these men. There is no any mention about the countries such as Esrael, US, UK, EU, Saudi Arabia in this report. In Iraq how many millions of innocent peoples' human rights were deprived by the gang led by US?

Bertram de Bond Friday, 22 September 2017 10:02 AM

Can't you read? Israel and Saudi Arabia are mentioned.

Sameen Jan Friday, 22 September 2017 07:40 AM

We are in excellent company less Bahrain

Emil van der Poorten Friday, 22 September 2017 08:13 AM

How come Sri Lanka is in that list after it consistently insists that everyone who was in the security services - all 500,000 of them - were war heroes even if even one committed some crime while in uniform? It's all a "Western Plot" led by a Saudi prince to destroy the greatest nation ever to exist! Shame on all these people who are telling such lies about the cradle of "3000 years of Sinhala Buddhist Civilization!"

Lord Wolfstein Friday, 22 September 2017 09:48 AM

Please note, that most Sri Lankans can not understand sarcasm.

ParaPata Friday, 22 September 2017 08:13 AM

No one can challenge this statement. I was watching a TV talk show and one of the participants a lawyer claimed that he was handling a lot of cased of attacked on religious place. The next day the fired and disgraced minister of justice wanted his may removed from the legal profession. This was all on TV.

Sena Friday, 22 September 2017 08:43 AM

This is exactly what SLK needs, a solid kick in the ass. Whom to blame ..... start with Sirisena and the swindlers. It is time for them to leave politics and democracy which they know nothing of.... GET OUT.

Thanos Friday, 22 September 2017 08:48 AM

So Russia, North Korea and many other authoritarian regimes are NOT in that list? Who is the moron who created this list?

BuffaloaCitizen Friday, 22 September 2017 09:10 AM

We are still a country far from civilized practices.

cheers Friday, 22 September 2017 09:10 AM

Screw the UN do you guys have any idea the war we had in SL for 30 years thanks to UN and European countries including USA, INDIA who funded terrorism

Sujith Bandara Friday, 22 September 2017 09:16 AM

Edward Snowden and Julian Assange are the supreme examples of Western HR hypocrisy.

Veronica Friday, 22 September 2017 09:19 AM

In another couple of years China will be leading the UN with a majority of nations support it.

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SL among nations to retaliate against HR defenders: UN

Comments - 18

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