The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) expressed support to a controversial UN report, saying it reflects the human rights situation in the country.

The TNA said the report by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka, contains a comprehensive and accurate depiction of the serious human rights issues facing Sri Lanka.

 

The TNA says Pillay’s report has benefited from the high commissioner’s visit to Sri Lanka last year, where she was able to observe first-hand the issues of concern regarding victims and survivors in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

 

“The High Commissioner has raised a number of serious concerns in her report which also pertains to the entire country: the treatment of former combatants and detainees; attacks on religious minorities; the attack on dissent and the freedom of expression and the government’s disinterest in making progress on accountability.”

 

The TNA is particularly concerned over the impact of the high levels of militarization on the security of women in the northern and eastern provinces.

 

“There are mounting and credible reports of systematic patterns of sexual harassment and violence in highly militarized areas, and we ask that the Human Rights Council to take cognizance of this reality in its deliberations on Sri Lanka,” the TNA said in a statement.

 

The TNA also unequivocally supports the high commissioner’s recommendation that the Human Rights Council establish an international inquiry mechanism to further investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws, in addition to monitoring any domestic processes for accountability initiated by the government of Sri Lanka.

 

 

The Sri Lankan government has rejected the report which was placed on the public domain on Monday ahead of the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva scheduled for next week, Xinhua reports.