Sri Lanka plans to publicise its response to the United Nations Human Right Council (UNHRC) days before the human rights body is expected to release its latest observations on the human rights situation in the country.
Sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Sunday Morning that Minister of Foreign Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris would be making a pre-emptive statement on the observations.
The Minister is to make the statement on Tuesday (22). Sources indicate that Minister Peiris will lead the Sri Lankan delegation to the UNHRC sessions in Geneva.
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet is scheduled to release her observations on Sri Lanka the following Monday (28).
Speaking at the 48th session of the UNHRC in Geneva last September, Bachelet said that Sri Lanka’s militarisation, along with the lack of accountability, was an “erosion of democracy”.
“The current social, economic, and governance challenges faced by Sri Lanka indicate the corrosive impact that militarisation and the lack of accountability continue to have on fundamental rights, civic space, democratic institutions, social cohesion, and sustainable development. A new state of emergency was declared in Sri Lanka on 30 August, with the stated aim of ensuring food security and price controls, amid deepening recession. The emergency regulations are very broad and may further expand the role of the military in civilian functions. The office will be closely monitoring their application,” she said at the time.
Bachelet also expressed concerns over the lack of progress in investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks, increasing Police brutality, and the failure to bring changes to the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
“The Government has reaffirmed its intention to revisit the Act and has established a Cabinet sub-committee for this purpose. However, I am deeply concerned about the continued use of the Act to arrest and detain people,” Bachelet stated.
Over the last few months, Sri Lanka has moved to release several high-profile suspects detained under the much-criticised Prevention of Terrorism Act. However, politicians and rights activists have argued that Sri Lanka continues to detain a significant number of persons under the PTA legislation, some without a charge, for years.
Efforts by the Government to introduce amendments to the 43-year-old PTA legislation were once again criticised by minority politicians and human rights activists for being superficial changes. Minister Peiris had called the criticism unfair and stressed that the Government was committed to changing the counter terrorism legislation.