President condemns burning of Quran in Sweden; slams HRC silence

While condemning the recent burning of a Quran in Sweden, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that it is a violation of the Freedom of Worship and questioned why the Human Rights Council in Geneva has remained silent on this issue.

He said if the Human Rights Council succumb to pressure and declare this as Freedom of Expression, there will be a split between the Global South and the Western value system.

He further stated that this incident cannot be defended as an act of Freedom of Expression.

The President said most people considered this as an attack on religion, but some Western nations, who defended the act, are attempting to expand the fields of Freedom of Expression to include disorder.

The President stated that he was speaking in regards to the act of the burning of the Qur'an, while accepting that Sri Lanka has failed to fulfill its obligations undertaken between former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Former UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon.

President Wickremesinghe re-iterated his commitment to ensuring Sri Lanka fulfills it's international obligations.

President Wickremesinghe added that if on the other hand this act is declared a violation of Freedom of Worship, then the UN Human Rights Council must define the limits of Freedom of Expression.

He said that he has informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to raise this issue with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and urged that the Commonwealth also play a role in ensuring human rights globally.

The President added that this was the first step in the Global South ensuring that their Human Rights values were included in the system and were given due respect.