A group of eminent persons has called for immediate international action against the Gotabhaya Rajapaksa regime in Sri Lanka. ‘Sri Lanka has made its justice institutions unavailable to its own victims’, more than 20 human rights experts and world leaders have jointly stated in a statement.
They called on Member States of the UN to heed the call by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet in her recent report to work with victims and their representatives to pursue justice through universal or extraterritorial jurisdiction. ‘Existing international avenues for accountability such as the International Criminal Court should be considered, in the face of Sri Lanka’s opposition to ending impunity. We also support the High Commissioner’s suggestion of imposing targeted sanctions against credibly alleged perpetrators of international crimes and strengthened monitoring and reporting by a dedicated Special Rapporteur.’
The 46th regular session of the Human Rights Council will be held from 22 February to 23 March 2021 and a new resolution on Sri Lanka is to be tabled. The elders’ group’s statement comes as UK is currently working on a new proposal in consultation with the member countries.
Sri Lanka is becoming increasingly isolated from the international community as international human rights organizations, foreign diplomats , and retired UN dignitaries issue harsh statements on the current situation in Sri Lanka.
Among the signatories to the open letter are the Chair of the ‘Elders’ Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland and Juan Manuel Santos, the Nobel Peace Prize winning former president of Colombia. The ‘Elders’ is a grouping of eminent leaders, established by former South African President Nelson Mandela. The current Elders comprise former US President Jimmy Carter, South African freedom fighter Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu and Former UN Secretary General Banki-Moon among several others.
All the former UN Human Rights High Commissioners since the Human Rights Council was established in 2006 have signed the open letter. Louise Arbour, Navanethem Pillay and Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein have endorsed the report and recommendations of the incumbent High Commissioner. Prominent among the other signatories are Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations (2012-2016), Charles Petrie, former United Nations Assistant Secretary General, Head, Secretary General’s Internal Review Panel on United Nation’s Actions in Sri Lanka (2012) and Marzuki Darusman, Secretary General’s Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka (2010-2011).