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Cooperate with resolution-US to SL

28 Mar 2014 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

US Ambassador Michele J. Sison on Friday urged Sri Lanka to cooperate with the resolution and the plan laid out for a comprehensive international investigation adopted at the UNHRC on Thursday.

She told a group of media personnel at the American Center that the US encourages Sri Lanka to continue to cooperate with the resolution and to welcome the special-procedures-mandate-holders, who have requested to visit the island.

“The two pending requests by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and Special Procedures Mandate Holders for the right of minorities should be prioritized,” she added.

Ambassador Sison also dismissed allegations that the US-backed resolution was ‘against’ Sri Lanka and assured it was undertaken in recognition of the resilience shown by Sri Lankans following years of conflict and their yearning for democracy and prosperity.

She said the adoption of the US-backed resolution titled, “Promoting Reconciliation, accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka”, at the UNHRC on Thursday sends out a clear message to the Sri Lankan Government to take meaningful and concrete steps on reconciliation and accountability.

“It calls upon the SL Government to fulfill its stated obligations to its own people. There are two baskets of issues covered in the resolution; one is the request for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to undertake a comprehensive and independent investigation into the alleged human rights violations committed by both parties during the conflict. The other portion is with regard to the concerns on the situation in Sri Lanka here and now,” the Ambassador said.

She noted specific allegations with reference to the ongoing situation in Sri Lanka and added that the US is deeply concerned about continued attacks, intimidations and detentions of human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, attacks on religious minorities and religious places of worship as well as the weakening of the rule of law and increasing impunity for illegal actions.

“Violent rhetoric and the encouragement of violent actions only serve to create further disharmony, and hinder reconciliation. We continue to call for an end to such acts of intimidation and for all those detained to be provided due process and granted immediate access to legal counsel,” the Ambassador said.

“We have been vocal in our support of the LLRC report and its recommendations. Moreover, all three resolutions have acknowledged progress made by Sri Lanka since 2009 in rebuilding infrastructure, demining, and resettling the majority of internally displaced persons,” she added.

She highlighted the HRC25/L1/Rev.1 resolution referring to the time period covered by the LLRC for the proposed independent, international investigation on alleged human rights and humanitarian violations in Sri Lanka by both parties.

“The resolution text encourages and does not close the door in any way on domestic mechanism since it even calls for the implementation of LLRC recommendations that have not yet been completed including the need to credibly investigate widespread allegations of extra judicial killings, demilitarisation of Northern Sri Lanka, evaluation of detention policies, devolution of power in the north of Sri Lanka, evaluating detention policies and the devolution of power. But it should be noted that not enough has been done to move forward on these recommendations,” she said.

Ambassador Sision also stressed on the importance of enacting the Victim and Witness Protection and Right to Information bills, both called for by the LLRC. (Lakna Paranamanna)

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Cooperate with resolution-US to SL

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