Govt. decides to reject UN rights chief’s report on Sri Lanka
February 3, 2021 02:01 pm
The Government of Sri Lanka has decided to reject the report compiled by the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet on alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka, says Minister Udaya Gammanpila.
He said Sri Lanka’s response to the report, which has already been submitted in writing, will be made public when Foreign Affairs Minister Dinesh Gunawardena addresses the UN Human Rights Council.
The government decided to reject the report as it has been prepared in violation of the mandates given through resolutions 30/1 and 40/1 of the UN Human Rights Council, Minister Gammanpila noted.
Further, the 17-page report only contains 02 pages that are in accordance with the mandate conferred on the Human Rights Commissioner, the Minister explained. The remaining content of the report are maliciously aimed at the government, contrary to their scope, he added.
In addition, the report has failed to present credible evidence pertaining to the allegations levelled at Sri Lanka, Minister Gammanpila said further.
In the report published in late January, the UN rights chief had stressed that the failure of Sri Lanka to address past violations has significantly heightened the risk of human rights violations being repeated.
She also called for an International Criminal Court investigation into Sri Lanka’s Tamil separatist conflict and sanctions on military officials accused of war crimes.
“Domestic initiatives for accountability and reconciliation have repeatedly failed to produce results, more deeply entrenching impunity, and exacerbating victims’ distrust in the system,” the report read.
It went on to say that the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has reversed some advances made under previous administrations in protecting human rights.
