Navi Pillay flags ‘massive violations’

Tuesday, 26 February 2013 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Dharisha Bastians

Sri Lanka featured prominently at the very first meeting of the 22nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council that opened in Geneva yesterday, with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay flagging the country’s “massive violations” as proof that the world needed to do more to combat impunity for international crimes.

In her opening statement to the 22nd Session, High Commissioner Pillay cited ‘massive violations in Iraq and Sri Lanka’ to illustrate her point that “there are still far too many people with command responsibility who escape justice for serious crimes and gross human rights violations”.

Pillay, who is scheduled to present her report on the Human Rights Situation in Sri Lanka during the 22nd Session, urged the international community to nurture and strengthen the system designed to deal with these crimes and violations.

Navi Pillay...

“It is also critical that we in the international community do our utmost to prevent such situations from developing or deterioratin...g,” the UN High Commissioner said in her statement to the Council.

Two other country representatives addressing the Council also took up the Sri Lanka issue.

Speaking at the High Level segment of the Opening Session, South African Deputy Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Ebrahim Ebrahim urged Sri Lanka to address the Tamil question in a “credible and inclusive manner”.

Saying that the UNHRC had been seized with the Sri Lanka issue for some time now, Ebrahim said South Africa urged the Sri Lankan Government to speedily implement all the recommendations of the LLRC.

“We also urge the Government of Sri Lanka to engage in a process of reconciliation” the South African Deputy Minister said.

Also addressing the High Level segment, Minister of State of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office Baroness Sayeeda Warsi said it was “crucial” that Sri Lanka address reconciliation by implementing the recommendations of the LLRC.

“Sri Lanka will continue to attract a huge amount of attention both in my country and others. The discussion will be in the spirit of support for Sri Lanka. But the task now is to make concrete progress. Implementing the recommendations of the LLRC would be a huge step to improving Sri Lanka’s human rights record,” the Minister of State told the Council.

Meanwhile, Head of the Sri Lankan Delegation to the UNHRC’s 22nd Session in Geneva Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe took wing for the Swiss city yesterday. Samarasinghe, who is also the Presidential Special Envoy on Human Rights, will address the Council on at 4:20 p.m. local time tomorrow.

Sri Lanka will feature on the agenda of HRC 22 at least four times between 25 February and 22 March. Following Samarasinghe’s address, Sri Lanka will next feature when the country’s UPR report is presented on 15 March, followed by the report by High Commissioner Pillay on 20 March. The US will also move a resolution on Sri Lanka for support in March.