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Last Updated : 2024-05-06 10:46:00
30 September 2020 10:56 am - 4 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
UN Secretary General António Guterres has raised concerns on Sri Lanka, in a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva.
The report, which will be formally presented to the Council at its ongoing 45th Session today, notes alleged surveillance of Sri Lankan civil society organisations, human rights defenders and others in Sri Lanka and in Geneva.
Guterres notes in the report that allegations were raised with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) that several participants at the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council were questioned by authorities before and after travelling to Geneva, and several organisations reported incidents of surveillance during the Human Rights Council session and its side events in March 2020.
The report also notes that in December 2019, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights addressed patterns of intimidation and reprisals to the Government in writing.
“OHCHR received continued allegations of surveillance of civil society organisations, human rights defenders and families of victims of violations, including repeated visits by police and intelligence services, questioning organisations about, inter alia, their staff and activities related to the UN,” Guterres said.
In her February 2020 report, the High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that harassment or surveillance of human rights defenders and victims of human rights violations increased during 2019 and “in some cases, Sri Lankans who travelled to Geneva to attend sessions of the Human Rights Council were questioned about the motives of their trips, either at the airport or during visits by the police to their homes upon their return”.
The High Commissioner had urged the authorities to immediately end the intimidating visits by State agents and all forms of surveillance and harassment of and reprisals against human rights defenders, social actors and victims of human rights violations and their families.
The Sri Lankan Government is expected to formally respond to the concerns raised by Guterres on Sri Lanka when his report is presented to the UNHRC in Geneva today. (Easwaran Rutnam)
J Jayawardana Wednesday, 30 September 2020 12:33 PM
Mr Gutarres, please wait for a moment! We will soon be represented in Geneva by PRRA!
Dharma Wednesday, 30 September 2020 12:48 PM
Excellency SG please dont interefre in our domestic affairs.So called human rights champions and many civil societies have been exposed as foreign funded interst groups.Pl go by the UN charter.
Asanka Wednesday, 30 September 2020 01:33 PM
Thank you Mr. Guterres for being concerned. Unbelievable that people here voted for this government. And they never heard about the withdrawl of resolution 30/1. People here are so ignorant and don't look further than their little island. They even call themselves Buddhists. I am sure Lord Buddha would have been a member of the UNHRC
Harassed citizen Wednesday, 30 September 2020 01:49 PM
Mr Guterres you must be aware of activities of the Diaspora and most of the illegal tamils who are in Geneva. I don't see what's wrong in finding out where these fellows are going and what for. This happens at the Geneva airport as well. What a load of questions one has to answer just to get out of the airport. So do you call that harassment although we feel it that way?
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