OISL

By R. Sampanthan, (MP,TNA). Mr. Deputy Chairman of Committees, we are discussing through this Adjournment Motion the Resolution adopted at the 30th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Promoting Reconciliation.  This is the fourth Resolution relating to Sri Lanka adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in consecutive years; the others being […]

(Concluding Remarks made by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera on October 23rd 2015 in the Parliamentary debate on the resolution on Sri Lanka passed by the UN Human rights Council in Geneva) The national unity government has committed itself to winning the peace, securing the country from political violence that has haunted it since independence and […]

The Full report is here as a PDF.Paranaggama Commission report Here is what the report mention as possible war crimes: It is clear to the Commission that this doctrine may be engaged as it concerns the allegations relating to the ‘white flag killings’ of LTTE leaders and the images of executions that have formed the […]

([U.N.-assisted Cambodian genocide tribunal judges, Motoo Noguchi, center, of Japan, and Cambodians Sim Rith, left, and Ya Narin, Phnom Penh, Sept. 1, 2008 (file photo)] Japanese Judge Moto Noguchi who had participated in the investigations carried out by the Missing Persons Commission headed by retired judge Maxwell Paranagama is to be invited to continue his […]

Photo courtesy New Europe by Niran Anketell The recent Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka is a remarkable document. Crafted in the immediate aftermath of the devastating OISL Report on Sri Lanka whose central recommendation was that a ‘special hybrid court’ be established in Sri Lanka, and despite some hiccups during negotiations, a resolution […]

On October 1 the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva passed a resolution on Sri Lanka titled Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka. The resolution was co-sponsored by Sri Lanka and passed unanimously which was in contrast to the four previous resolutions of the UNHRC on Sri Lanka since 2009. The […]

“Even locally, most of the people are not happy with the Commission and they have no faith in its process. However, we will not abandon its procedure” The government is to abolish the Missing Persons Commission and replace it with a new commission or system to continue procedures of the former. Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe […]

It seems to me that there are certain essentials on which we should focus in the aftermath of the recent UNHRC Resolution at Geneva. One, as I argued in my last article, is an incontrovertible fact about which there should be no argument at all: every civilized society has sanctions against crime, and in so […]

(Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met with the Japanese Foreign Minister ) The Japanese Government says it will back Sri Lanka’s domestic process to address issues related to the war, the office of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said today. Wickremesinghe had talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Japan today while on a […]

The event at Palais de Naciones in Geneva clearly showed that the opposition Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is sharply divided. Two of its parliamentarians and a Provincial Councillor used the good offices of UNHRC-recognised organisations to make speeches during the debate. M.K. Shivajilingam spoke as a representative of the League of Persons with Disabilities. “The […]

In a resolution (A_HRC_30_L.29) on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, adopted without a vote, the Council encourages the Government of Sri Lanka to investigate all alleged attacks by individuals and groups on journalists, human rights defenders, members of religious minority groups and other members of civil society; further encourages the Government […]

( Rajapaksa family friend Peries was appointed as CJ after unlawful impeachment of 43 CJ Shirani Bandaranayeka) In 2011, former Chief Justice Mohan Peiris travelled to the United Nations in New York as the Ministerial Legal Advisor to defeat the war crimes allegations against Sri Lanka. He was named as the Legal Advisor to the […]

Details of this team will be announced on November 2, 2015. 1)  Vision of justice dispensed at Human Rights Council is in contradiction to the findings of the High Commissioner’s Report. 2) Expresses disappointment at dilution of principles of justice. 3) No explicit reference to the important elements of hybrid court identified in the Resource […]

( Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha with FM Samaraweera & Justice Minister Rajapaksa at HRC 30) The attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been drawn to news reports and commentaries appearing over the past few days suggesting that the statement made by Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha at […]

( File photo: Sri Lanka police known for its inhumane practices) While United Nations Human Rights Council was listening to allegations of sexual harassment of Tamil detainees  by  Sri Lanka military, Sri Lanka police was torturing a 17 year school boy arrested in suspicion  of the rape and killing of 5 year old girl child […]

( Sri Lanka war zone ) By Jamey Keaten | AP . GENEVA — The top U.N. human rights body on Thursday approved by consensus a resolution aimed to increase accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of its decades-long civil war that left tens of thousands of people dead. International advocacy groups hailed the […]

Freedom from Torture, the UK-based human rights organisation, welcomes the acceptance of the UN report on war crimes in Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today, as a major step forward in the quest for accountability and a sustainable  reconciliation process. The resolution was passed by consensus with the support of […]

( Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha) Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)  30th session at the adoption of the resolution A/HRC/30/L.29 ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’ Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha said  that Sri Lanka is ”eager to commence wide ranging consultations for this […]

A crucial resolution adopted at the UN Human Rights Council today offers the victims of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict the prospect of finally getting the truth and justice they deserve, Amnesty International said. The resolution was adopted without a vote today at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, following the publication earlier this month […]

(Sri Lanka AMB speaking at the resolution debate) United Nations Human Rights Council adopted the resolution on Sri Lanka without vote today. Presenting the resolution USA said that this is a historical moment  for the consensus it has achieved. Ambassador Ariyawansa thanked all members of the HRC for their support for the resolution while China […]

( Photo: Nimalka Fernando at HRC 30 ©SLB) Thank you Mr. President, IMADR and Rights Now Collective for Collective for Democracy welcome the OISL report and the recommendations of the High Commissioner. We regret that it took six long years for the international community to recognise the violations of human rights and humanitarian law, war […]

  For two weeks, Sri Lanka has been a hot topic at the 30th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, after a report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Investigation (OHCHR) found evidence of probable war crimes committed in the island during the last years of the conflict. […]

GENEVA (Reuters) – The top U.N. human rights official called on Sri Lanka on Wednesday to investigate reports of secret places of detention and to set up a “credible and independent” body to clarify the fate of people missing since the civil war that ended in 2009. Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, U.N. High Commissioner for Human […]

We release this statement in response to the draft resolution titled ‘Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka’ tabled under Item 2 and scheduled for debate and adoption on the 30th of September 2015. 1. We reiterate the firm conviction of the victims of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, a majority of […]

The Hindu:A file photo of Tamil National Alliance leader, R. Sampanthan. By T. Ramakrishnan “This is perhaps the best possible resolution that could have been achieved at the UNHRC”, says TNA leader R. Sampanthan. The draft resolution on Sri Lanka tabled at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) by the U.S. and other countries […]

COLOMBO | By Shihar Aneez An air force officer holds Sri Lanka’s national flag as the sun sets at Galle Face Green in Colombo February 2, 2013. Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte COLOMBO A U.S.-backed resolution at the United Nations that seeks justice for victims of Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war has been softened to keep its government […]

Sri Lanka has committed some of the most heinous crimes against its own people, be it the Tamils or the Sinhalese in the post World War II period. The climax of it was the massacre of Tamil civilians in May 2009. There are 146,679 people unaccounted, 90,000 war widows, a minimum of 25,000 war orphans, […]

International Participation, Monitoring Crucial for Reforms. (Geneva) – The United Nations Human Rights Council should adopt a resolution ensuring a robust international role in Sri Lanka’s justice mechanism for abuses during the country’s brutal civil war, Human Rights Watch said today. The resolution, expected to be adopted on October 1, 2015, contains a number of […]

  Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management In a significant shift in policy, on September 24, 2015, Colombo decided to co-sponsor a draft resolution (A/HRC/30/L.29) that was tabled at the 30th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. The draft resolution titled ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’, […]

The Governments of Sri Lanka, the United States, the United Kingdom, Montenegro, and Macedonia have published the text of a joint resolution which will form the basis of the follow up to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ “OISL” report. You can read the text here. What happens now? This resolution can be amended […]