Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 12th Sept. UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada-Al Nashif on Monday briefed the Human Rights Council told that political and democratic reforms have not materialized in Sri Lanka despite popular protests last year calling for change.
Mr. Nada-Al Nashif was addressing the forum in Geneva also urged the Sri Lankan authorities to accelerate investigations and prosecutions probing cases of human rights violations, the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
Ms. Al-Nashif noted that investigations should comply with international human rights standards.
OHCHR called the Government of Sri Lanka to establish an independent probe into the bombing campaign that left 269 people dead and 500 injured.
She said that the Government has implemented economic recovery policies, but Sri Lanka faced the deep economic crisis of 2022 and stress in the global economy.
Ms. Al-Nashif explained the legacy of that crisis “has impacted the poor and marginalized communities the most.
She noted that 2.5 million people had been driven into poverty between 2021 and 2022, while an estimated 37 per cent of households face acute food insecurity.
Ms. Al- Nashif emphasized that such hardship has given rise to tensions and protests. These have been sparked by issues of land acquisition in the north and east of the country for the expansion of military installations.
She reiterated that delays in holding local government elections combined with the laws that limit people’s right to political participation and protest had also increased tensions.
“Our Office continues to receive cases of misuse of tear gas and water cannons during demonstrations, affecting protestors and media personnel,” Ms. Al-Nashif said.
She recognized the Government’s proposal for a new truth-seeking mechanism as part of efforts to promote reconciliation across Sri Lanka in the aftermath of a brutal civil war.
The rights official said more needed to be done.
“Fourteen years since the war ended, tens of thousands of victims and their families continue to suffer in agony and grief as they wait for truth, justice, and remedy, said Ms. Al-Nashif.
“Truth seeking alone is not sufficient and must be accompanied by clear commitment to accountability.”
Sri Lanka rejected the OHCHR findings, its conclusions and recommendations relating to the two resolutions under which the UN rights office is mandated to investigate and report on the country.
Sri Lanka said in a statement that the report was an “unproductive and unhelpful drain” on resources, which did not reflect the situation on the ground, claiming that OHCHR had ignored the nation’s “democratic resilience”.
Comments are closed.