April 26, 2024 4:03 pm
Results: 51
Police violated human rights of HNDA students – HRC determines
The Human Rights Commission in its report on the police assault on HNDA students holds that the police had violated the human rights of the HNDA students. The Commission hence recommends compensation to be paid to the students by police and disciplinary action taken against those responsible. MORE..
Lionel Fernando resigns from HRCSL
Lionel Fernando has resigned from the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) due to personal reasons, a source said. MORE...
Paranagama report far worse than UN report – Rajitha
The government today said that the resolution adopted at the UN Human Rights Council on Sri Lanka would have been much more severe if the Paranagama report had been released before the session in Geneva. MORE..
UN resolution, Udalagama & Paranagama Commission reports tabled in Parliament
The resolution adopted at the UN Human Rights Council as well as the Udalagma and Paranagama Commission Reports were tabled in Parliament by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe a short while ago.
CaFFE and CHR welcome release of commission reports
The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) and the Center for Human Rights and Research (CHR) today welcomed the decision to release the reports of the Udalagama and Paranagama Commissions on alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka. MORE..
All-party conference to discuss solutions to rights issue - President
President Maithripala Sirisena today said that the country had achieved a great victory at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) as the international community expressed high appreciation of the steps taken by the government since January. MORE..
Resolution on Sri Lanka adopted at UNHRC
The US-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka was adopted without a vote by consensus at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, a short while ago. MORE..
Chairman of Missing Persons’ Panel rebuts Zeid
Responding to the UN Human Rights High Commissioner Prince Zeid’s call to disband the Sri Lankan Missing Persons’ Commission and assign its work to a more credible body, the chairman of the panel, Justice Maxwell Paranagama, contended that nobody else can do the job better. MORE..
U.S. supports a credible domestic process in Sri Lanka - Kerry
The U.S. has said it will support a domestic investigation by Sri Lanka to address allegations of human rights abuses during the final phase of the country’s civil war. MORE..
UN resolution could advance justice in Sri Lanka - HRW
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. MORE..
Vaiko detained during protest against draft US resolution
MDMK general secretary Vaiko and representatives from 32 organisations were detained on Monday morning after they threatened to lay siege to the U.S. Consulate in Chennai following a rally condemning the draft U.S. resolution for a domestic investigation into the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka. MORE..
Sri Lanka trying to water down UNHRC resolution: HRW
Sri Lanka should not be allowed to water down a UNHRC resolution on its alleged rights violations during its civil war with the LTTE, according to a prominent rights group which said that the current draft was “counterproductive” to the reconciliation efforts of the government. MORE..
TNA commends govt’s willingness to co-sponsor resolution
The Tamil National Alliances (TNA) today welcomed the draft text of a resolution on Sri Lanka tabled by the co-sponsors of the resolution at the UN Human Rights Council. MORE..
Wigneswaran welcomes UN proposal to set up hybrid court
The Chief Minister of Sri Lanka’s Tamil-dominated Northern Province has welcomed the UNHRC’s proposal to set up a hybrid court to probe the alleged war crimes during the last phase of the conflict with the LTTE, saying it is a dramatic step towards achieving reconciliation. MORE...
President orders Avant Garde case to continue
President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed relevant authorities to continue with legal proceeding regarding the controversial Avant Garde issue, Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Rajitha Senaratne said. MORE..
Sri Lanka’s domestic mechanism to be finalised by January
Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera says that the setting up of a four-tier domestic mechanism to investigate allegations of human rights violations will be finalised by January 2016 and implemented within 18 months. MORE..
UN members should back hybrid court in Sri Lanka - HRW
The call by the United Nations’ top human rights officer for a domestic-international hybrid court to address allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka should receive strong endorsement by members of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, Human Rights Watch said today. MORE..
TNA wants UN probe recommendations in next resolution
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) today said that it welcomes the report of the investigation conducted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OISL) and its recommendations. MORE..
Govt assures due attention to UN report
The Sri Lankan Government today said it will ensure that the content and recommendations of the UNHRC report receive due attention of the relevant authorities including the new mechanisms that are envisaged to be set up. MORE..
Sri Lanka promises justice after UN war crimes report
Sri Lanka promised to deliver justice after a United Nations human rights report called on Wednesday for a special court to be set up to prosecute war crimes committed during the nation’s 26-year civil conflict. MORE..
Full Report of OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka
The long-anticipated report of the United Nations investigation into allegations of human rights violations during the war in Sri Lanka was released a short while ago. Click for Full Report..
Zeid urges creation of hybrid special court in Sri Lanka
A UN report published today has identified patterns of grave violations in Sri Lanka between 2002 and 2011, strongly indicating that war crimes and crimes against humanity were most likely committed by both sides to the conflict. MORE..
Sri Lanka set to announce reconciliation plans
Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera would make a statement in Geneva on Monday, the inaugural day of the the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)’s three-week-long session. MORE...
UN probe report handed over to govt
The UN probe report on alleged war crimes committed during the final phase of Sri Lankan military’s battle against the LTTE has been handed over to the government. MORE..
Harsha focusing on economic diplomacy
Deputy Foreign Minister Dr Harsha de Silva today said that the main economic issue in Sri Lanka is the weaknesses in the country’s economic relations with other countries. MORE..
DMK opposes US move to bring in revised resolution
DMK today opposed any move by the US to bring in a revised resolution in a UN rights body on a probe into alleged rights violations in Sri Lanka, as reported in the media, and said India should not support it. MORE..
HRC’s sitting on Sri Lanka fixed on Sept 30
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A report on alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka during the Eelam War is likely to be presented on September 30 during the 30th session of the United Human Rights Council. MORE...
Karunanidhi condemns US support to Sri Lankan domestic probe
DMK chief Karunanidhi today condemned the US government’s reported proposal for support to a domestic probe by Sri Lanka into alleged war crimes rather than going in for an international investigation. MORE..
Samarasinghe admits failure to implement 2009 resolution
President Maithripala Sirisena took the initiative to revive Sri Lanka’s connections with countries that had distanced itself from the island nation and he managed to win the trust of the world’s most powerful countries within a short span, says Mahinda Samarasinghe. MORE..
US backs Sri Lanka’s domestic probe
The United States said Wednesday that it wants to sponsor a resolution at next month’s U.N. human rights session that is supportive of Sri Lanka’s government, which wants to conduct its own investigation into alleged war crimes. MORE..
Biswal’s visit hastens swearing-in of three key Ministers
The visit of Nisha Biswal, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia on Tuesday to discuss the UN Human Rights Commissioner’s report on war crimes in Sri Lanka, has hastened the swearing-in of Mangala Samaraweera as Foreign Minister; Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe as Justice Minister; and D.M.Swaminathan as Resettlement Minister. MORE...
No legal basis for international investigation within Sri Lanka; it has to be domestic - PM
There is no legal basis for international investigation within Sri Lanka; it has to be domestic, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe said in an interview to the Hindu. The reason some of the people have been calling for international investigation is the loss of confidence in the judiciary, he added. MORE...
Shivajilingam writes to UN human rights chief
M K Shivajilingam, who is contesting in the upcoming parliamentary polls as an independent candidate, has asked the UNHCR for an international probe into the alleged war crimes during the conflict with the LTTE. MORE..
Elections Chief to brief top police officers
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) is scheduled to conduct a programme to brief the high-ranking police officers in Kurunegala and Puttalam districts with regard to the forthcoming General Election. MORE..
Petitions filed against Mahinda Rajapaksa’s security detail
A Fundamental Rights (FR) petition has been submitted to the Supreme Court seeking a directive to reduce the security provided to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is contesting the forthcoming parliamentary polls. MORE..
Rights groups urge UNHRC to maintain fullest scrutiny of Sri Lanka
Several international human rights groups have urged the international community and the UN Human Rights Council to maintain the fullest scrutiny of Sri Lanka on questions of justice and accountability. MORE..
US commends fight against corruption in Lanka
The US called on Sri Lanka to “continue on its path of ensuring accountability and reconciliation” in a statement delivered to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. In an opening statement delivered on Monday, the US said “we commend the people of Sri Lanka for restoring democratic institutions and combatting corruption”. MORE...
UN chief commends President Sirisena
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has appreciated the new Government’s forward march under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena, to build peace and reconciliation in the country while protecting democratic rights of the People. MORE..
Sri Lanka sets September date for war crimes probe
Sri Lanka’s new government yesterday said an investigation into allegations of war crimes would begin by September, amid international pressure to account for atrocities committed during the island’s decades-long separatist conflict. MORE...
HRC helps Lankan maid to return home after accident
A Sri Lankan maid who was in hospital for three years following an accident in Saudi Arabia has flown back home with a smile, thanks to the Human Rights Commission. MORE..
Won’t do anything that requires referendum – Ranil
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe today expressed confidence that the 19th Amendment to the Constitution will be passed in Parliament with sufficient backing, despite objections voiced by certain parties including the JHU - a key partner of the government – and calls for a referendum. MORE..
Sri Lanka plans to lift ‘terrorist’ ban on Tamil groups
Sri Lanka’s new government has announced plans to remove 16 groups and hundreds of Tamils from a list of “foreign terrorists” as part of reconciliation with its largest ethnic minority. MORE...
UN rights chief urges Sri Lanka not to repeat ‘failures of the past’
The United Nations’ top human rights official today urged the Sri Lankan Government to consult “deeply” with the people, particularly victims of the war, in order to design mechanisms that will work and not repeat the failures of the past. MORE..
Minister Mangala to meet Zeid tomorrow
Foreign Minister Mangala Samaweera will travel to Geneva to attend the High-Level Segment of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to be held on March 2nd, 2015. MORE...
No faith in domestic probe - Bishop of Mannar
The Bishop of Mannar, Dr Rayappu Joseph, today said that a domestic investigation into allegations of human right violations cannot be trusted and that is the reason the Tamil people placed their faith in an international probe by the UN. MORE..
Sri Lanka to discuss domestic probe with UN
Sri Lanka’s government will next month look to win United Nations backing for a domestic probe into allegations of human rights violations during the final stage of the war, an official said today. MORE..
Delay of UN war report right thing to do - UK Dy HC
The decision by the UN Human Rights Council to delay the investigation into the end of the Sri Lankan conflict despite being difficult for those who gave information was the right thing to do, Laura Davis, British Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka says. MORE...
Mangala to visit Geneva, meet Zeid
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Mangala Samaweera will travel to Geneva to attend the High-Level Segment of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to be held on March 2nd, 2015. MORE..
Mangala meets U.N. chief, urges war crimes report delay
Sri Lanka’s foreign minister met with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday, and U.N. diplomatic sources said he pressed his government’s desire to delay the release of a U.N. report on alleged war crimes during his country’s civil war. MORE..
Karunanidhi wants India to move resolution against Sri Lanka
DMK president M Karunanidhi on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider moving a resolution in the UNHRC against Sri Lanka over alleged genocide and wanted India to support adoption of a human rights violation report in the world body. MORE..
Sri Lanka says seeking delay in UN war-crimes report
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said on Wednesday his country was seeking a delay of several months in the release of a U.N. report on alleged war crimes during his country’s civil war until the government had time to establish a mechanism to deal with the issue. MORE...