Briefing Note Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka UNHRC Action Remains Crucial

8/12/2019 Briefing Note Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka UNHRC Action Remains Crucial

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Briefing Note: Reconciliation andAccountability in Sri Lanka: UNHRC actionremains crucial

Brussels | 28 Feb 2014

This briefing note draws on Crisis Groupsextensi e reporting on post!war politi"al de elop#ents in $ri %an&a' as wellas re"ent inter iews with a range of $ri %an&an sta&eholders( )ead all

our published reports on Sri Lanka (

* er iew

The go ern#ent of $ri %an&a +Go$%, has failed to "o#pl- with twosu""essi e .u#an )ights Coun"il +.)C, resolutions( Failure is #ost ob iouswith respe"t to a""ountabilit- for alleged war "ri#es and "ri#es againsthu#anit- in the final phase of the "i il war' but also b- the la"& ofde olution of power' ongoing #ilitarisation of the north and east' anddeepening authoritarianis# throughout the "ountr-( /e"isi e .)C a"tion

now is re uired in light of Go$%s repeated failures to underta&e thene"essar- steps alone it is ne"essar- also in order to de"rease the ris& of areturn to deadl- "onfli"t in $ri %an&a(

The .)C should adopt a strong resolution on $ri %an&a' establishing aninternational "o##ission of in uir- to in estigate "redible allegations of

iolations of international hu#an rights and hu#anitarian law "o##ittedb- the %iberation Tigers of Ta#il ela# +%TT , and $ri %an&an go ern#entfor"es' establish the fa"ts and "ir"u#stan"es that #a- a#ount to su"h

iolations' and identif- those responsible( The "o##ission also should be

e#powered to in estigate "ontinuing rights iolations ste##ing fro# thosee ents' in"luding alleged abuse of detainees' enfor"ed disappearan"es andsexual iolen"e(

The resolution should re uest the *ffi"e of the .igh Co##issioner for.u#an )ights +*.C.), and rele ant spe"ial pro"edures #andate holders'#an- of who# ha e been denied a""ess b- Go$%' to pro ide the"o##ission with the te"hni"al and logisti"al support needed and to #onitorand report ba"& to the .)C on an- progress #ade b- the Go$% in
http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/media-releases/2014/asia/reconciliation-and-accountability-in-sri-lanka.aspxhttp://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/media-releases/2014/asia/reconciliation-and-accountability-in-sri-lanka.aspxhttp://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/media-releases/2014/asia/reconciliation-and-accountability-in-sri-lanka.aspxhttp://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka.aspxhttp://www.crisisgroup.org/site_images/lgo_icg.pnghttp://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka.aspxhttp://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/media-releases/2014/asia/reconciliation-and-accountability-in-sri-lanka.aspxhttp://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/media-releases/2014/asia/reconciliation-and-accountability-in-sri-lanka.aspxhttp://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/media-releases/2014/asia/reconciliation-and-accountability-in-sri-lanka.aspx


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i#ple#enting the rele ant resolutions(

3( Failure to "o#pl- with 201 .)C resolution

The 5ar"h 201 .)C resolution "alled for a"tion b- the $ri %an&an state toabide b- its own pre ious "o##it#ents and international obligations'

in"luding b- i#ple#enting 6the "onstru"ti e re"o##endations7 of its%essons %earnt and )e"on"iliation Co##ission +%%)C, and 6"ondu"t ing9 anindependent and "redible in estigation into allegations of iolations ofinternational hu#an rights law and international hu#anitarian law7(

)e:e"ting the .)C resolution' the Go$% "lai#s to be pursuing re"on"iliationand a""ountabilit- through its ;ational


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there ha e been no su""essful in estigations or prose"utions intoan- of the #an- #urders and iolent atta"&s on :ournalists underthe "urrent go ern#ent(

Continual announ"e#ents of new "o##issions pro ide thin "o er for thego ern#ents failure to i#ple#ent the &e- re"o##endations of a half!

do en pre ious "o##issions on enfor"ed disappearan"es' as "alled for b-the %%)C( )eports fro# e-ewitnesses to the a"tual fun"tioning of thenewest "o##ission on #issing and disappeared persons appointed b-


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infor#ation has been shared about the se"ond #ilitar- "ourt of in uir- thatreportedl- is in estigating the allegations of post!war extra:udi"ial &illings(;o suspe"ts ha e been na#ed none ha e been detained(

The go ern#ent points to its new "ensus of war deaths and da#age as ani#portant step in its re"on"iliation progra# and as satisf-ing one of the

#a:or %%)C re"o##endations( The design and i#ple#entation of the"ensus' howe er' suggest it is prin"ipall- intended to help strengthen thego ern#ents position at the .)C( The #ethodolog- of the sur e-' whi"hallows reporting of deaths and in:uries onl- fro# those within a narrowl-defined 6nu"lear fa#il-7' will #ean #an- deaths are not "ounted( The"ensus will not re"ord the deaths of fa#ilies &illed in their entiret-' nor offa#ilies who ha e sin"e left $ri %an&a > and it will not be a""epted as a"redible and independent a""ounting b- those affe"ted(

"( Hiolen"e against religious #inorities201 and earl- 2014 ha e seen an alar#ing trend of new for#s of"o##unal iolen"e( )adi"al Buddhist nationalist groups "ontinue theirregular iolent atta"&s against 5usli#s and Christians and their pla"es ofworship( /espite the .)Cs "on"ern in 201 at 6reports of I dis"ri#inationon the basis of religion or belief7' the poli"e ha e failed to pre ent or arrestan- but a handful of those responsible for the #ore than one hundred su"hatta"&s in that ti#e period( This feeds the widespread belief that the

iolen"e has the blessing of the go ern#ent(

d( ;o politi"al progress in #ilitarised ;orthern


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interferen"e in "i ilian affairs in both pro in"es( /espite go ern#ent "lai#sthat 6"i ilian ad#inistration is now full- restored in the for#er theatres of"onfli"t7' the #ilitar- > both dire"tl- and through the


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su"h as alleged abuse of detainees' enfor"ed disappearan"es' sexualiolen"e and the "ontinued hea - #ilitarisation of the northern and

eastern pro in"es' #u"h of whi"h appears designed to destro-e iden"e and inti#idate potential witnesses and

to present its report to the 28th session of the .)C' at whi"h ti#ethe report should be trans#itted to the E; General =sse#bl- and$e"retar-!General(

The "o##ission also will need support and assistan"e' whether through*.C.) or otherwise@

to pro ide witness prote"tion' in"luding su"h tra el and otherassistan"e needed to fa"ilitate appearan"e and to ensure safet-before' during and after an- "ooperation with the "o##ission

to preser e e iden"e of alleged "ri#es with a iew to #a&ing su"he iden"e a ailable to an- prose"uting authorit- with :urisdi"tion and

with suffi"ient witness prote"tion and other safeguards in pla"e toensure a "redible pro"ess(

The .igh Co##issioner also should be #andated to report ba"& to the .)Con an- progress #ade b- the Go$% in i#ple#enting outstandingresolutions(

333( = truth and re"on"iliation "o##issionJ ;ot -etFollowing $outh =fri"an in estigations and prose"utions( Truth and a""ountabilit-' as in $outh=fri"as T)C' #ust go together(

Con"lusion=n inte rnational "o##ission of in uir- will not sol e all of $ri %an&as proble#s( .owe er' progress on


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a""ountabilit- and the other &e- "on"erns "ited in the 201 .)C resolution re#ain "riti"al if $ri %an&a is torepair its de#o"rati" institutions' prote"t the rights of $ri %an&ans belonging to all "o##unities' de ol epower to the north and east and build a new sustainable #ulti!ethni" and #ulti!religious future(

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Briefing Note Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka UNHRC Action Remains Crucial