HRW urges C’wealth Ministers to press Sri Lanka on rights

An International human rights watchdog today urged the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) to make the human rights situation in Sri Lanka a “priority,” following the recent statement made by the UN Human Rights chief.

CMAG, a rotating group of foreign ministers from eight Commonwealth countries, will meet in New York on September 27, 2013.

The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, on Wednesday reported to the UN Human Rights Council about ongoing human rights concerns in Sri Lanka and the government’s failure “to independently or credibly investigate the allegations” of war crimes during the country’s armed conflict.

However, New York-based Human Rights Watch says that CMAG and the Commonwealth Secretariat have largely refused to discuss Sri Lanka’s human rights situation.

“The UN rights chief decried a worsening situation in Sri Lanka and listed past and present problems that contradict official ‘Commonwealth values,’” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The Commonwealth should not bury its head in the sand and ignore Sri Lanka’s serious human rights problems.”

Sri Lanka is scheduled to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November.

CMAG members should ask the Commonwealth secretary-general to put Sri Lanka on its agenda for the September 27 meeting and invite Pillay to debrief its members on her August trip to the country, as human rights organizations requested earlier in September, the rights group said.

Human Rights Watch reiterated its concerns that holding the summit in Sri Lanka casts serious doubts on the Commonwealth’s commitment to supporting human rights, democratic reform, and fundamental human rights enshrined in the Commonwealth Harare Declaration of 1991. The Commonwealth and its participants risk major embarrassment by holding the meeting in Colombo, particularly given Pillay’s September 25 statement to the Human Rights Council, which highlighted a range of human rights problems, Human Rights Watch said.

“Commonwealth ministers should at least be willing to hear an independent account of the situation in Sri Lanka,” Adams said. “Why haven’t they invited Pillay to their September 27 meeting?”

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma has stated that the Commonwealth is active in promoting its values in Sri Lanka, such as respect for human rights and free speech. But he has repeatedly ignored the issue and even appeared to shield Sri Lanka from criticism, Human Rights Watch said.

Pillay’s report to the Human Rights Council underscored the need for an independent, international investigation into abuses in the final months of Sri Lanka’s conflict. A panel of experts appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon found that as many as 40,000 civilians were killed as a result of violations of international law by both sides. Commonwealth countries should actively support such an investigation, and should press Sri Lanka to cooperate fully, Human Rights Watch said.

“The Commonwealth does itself a disservice by ignoring wartime atrocities and growing authoritarian rule in Sri Lanka, which challenge the Commonwealth’s purpose and identity,” Adams said. “The CMAG meeting is an important opportunity to finally address rights issues in Sri Lanka and agree to a course of action. In this way the Commonwealth can make a genuine contribution to promoting the welfare of its citizens.”