Getting Real About Rights and Justice in Sri Lanka

8/9/2019 Getting Real About Rights and Justice in Sri Lanka

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Getting Real about Rights and Justice in SriLanka

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02/03/2015

Sri Lanka's brutal civil warended in a! 200"# but there are still $an! concernsregarding accountabilit! %or allegedwarti$e atrocitiesand &ersistent tension betweenthe countr!'s various ethnic grou&s (ncreased authoritarianis$ %ro$ recentl! ousted)resident ahinda Ra*a&aksa and institutionali+ed i$&unit! have $eant that the

countr!'s wounds o% war re$ain unhealed and that a return to violence in the $ediu$,to long,ter$ is not out o% the -uestion

ahinda Ra*a&aksa went %or an un&recedented third ter$ in earl! Januar!# but wasde%eated b! his %or$er health $inister and Sri Lanka .reedo$ )art! SL.) generalsecretar! aithri&ala Sirisena side %ro$ $an! other SL.) de%ections# Sirisena wassu&&orted b! a broad coalition Ra*a&aksa's de%eat ca$e as a sur&rise to $an! and is asign that Sri Lankans %ro$ all walks o% li%e were tired o% a regi$e &lagued b!wides&read corru&tion# ne&otis$ and centrali+ation o% &ower uite evidentl!# SriLankans &re%er a $ore authentic brand o% de$ocrac!

ut what about international advocac! e%%orts vis,4,vis Sri Lanka 6ow $ight a changeo% the guard in 7olo$bo a%%ect things

8ver the &ast %ew !ears# the &re&onderance o% international &ressure on Sri Lanka hasco$e through actions taken at the 9: 6u$an Rights 7ouncil# where threeresolutions on Sri Lanka have been &assed since 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-dibbert/lets-get-real-about-human_b_6585778.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-dibbert/lets-get-real-about-human_b_6585778.htmlhttp://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/sri-lankan-conflict/p11407http://www.un.org/News/dh/infocus/Sri_Lanka/POE_Report_Full.pdfhttp://www.maithripala.com/http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-geTpIEU-smY/VNKW8f22gcI/AAAAAAAACgY/6LrCugUS1lY/s1600/symbol-of-dove.jpghttp://s.huffpost.com/images/v/logos/v4/world.gif?30http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/sri-lankan-conflict/p11407http://www.un.org/News/dh/infocus/Sri_Lanka/POE_Report_Full.pdfhttp://www.maithripala.com/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-dibbert/lets-get-real-about-human_b_6585778.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-dibbert/lets-get-real-about-human_b_6585778.html


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s &art o% the $ost recent 6u$an Rights 7ouncil resolution&assed in arch 201;#the 9: 8%%ice o% the 6igh 7o$$issioner %or 6u$an Rights 8676R will delivera re&ort on alleged warti$e atrocities in Sri Lanka at the 6u$an Rights 7ouncil's 2&ected to be critical o% both Sri Lankangovern$ent %orces and the =a$il =igers# the se&aratist grou& that %ought %or a se&aratestate in the countr!'s north and east

Sirisena has &ro$ised bold# swee&ing re%or$s# but certain dela!s are bound to arise=o add an additional la!er o% co$&le>it!# a &arlia$entar! election is slated %or &ril?hile it's good we witnessed a &eace%ul trans%er o% &ower in earl! Januar!# a degree o%uncertaint! will &er$eate Sri Lankan &olitics %or the ne>t several $onths

(n addition# Ra*a&aksa's de%eat will likel! reduce international &ressure on the SriLankan govern$ent in the near,ter$# es&eciall! at the 6u$an Rights 7ouncil

=his is un%ortunate

=hose 6u$an Rights 7ouncil resolutions# designed to &ro$ote hu$an rights# *usticeand accountabilit! in Sri Lanka# re$ain -uite relevant , and !et all three resolutionswere largel! ignored b! the Ra*a&aksa regi$e

.urther$ore# while it's still earl!# it $ight be wish%ul thinking to e>&ect a new

govern$ent in 7olo$bo to behave all that di%%erentl! ?hen &ut in a broader conte>t#recent actions at the 6u$an Rights 7ouncil are another stark re$inder that thee%%icac! o% $ultilateral institutions can be -uite li$ited =hat said# kee&ing Sri Lankaunder the $icrosco&e o% the 6u$an Rights 7ouncil is a good idea because %ailing to doso would run the risk o% losing $o$entu$ that's been built u& over the &ast several!ears Since that's the case# a %ourth resolution should be &assed on Sri Lanka6owever# %urther action at the 6u$an Rights 7ouncil is so$ething that should be&ursued onl! i% that's done in con*unction with other bilateral e%%orts to encouragechange

(ndeed# the continued reliance on $ultilateral institutions# a strateg! which &rovedlargel! ine%%ectual when the Ra*a&aksa regi$e was in &ower# $a! not be the besta&&roach with a new ad$inistration either

=he ti$e %or thinking $ore creativel! about how to engage with the Sri Lankangovern$ent is now long overdue ?hether it's Ra*a&aksa# Sirisena or so$eone else# it'slikel! that the recalibration o% bilateral ties , in London# ?ashington# :ew @elhi andelsewhere , would be the best wa! %orward %or international actors concerned about&ro$oting *ustice# accountabilit! and hu$an rights on the island
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14447&LangID=Ehttp://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/OISL.aspxhttp://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14447&LangID=Ehttp://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/OISL.aspx


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?ho could lead the wa!

=he 9nited States# others in Auro&e and (ndia all co$e to $ind (ndia has long had adi%%icult and co$&le> relationshi& with its South sian neighbor and the odiad$inistration will be keen to rebuild a bilateral relationshi&that has been troubledover the &ast %ew !ears esides# (ndia craves a larger role on the international stage

and working to i$&rove the situation in Sri Lanka would give the odi ad$inistrationadded international credibilit! and signal that indeed :ew @elhi knows how to actassertivel! and constructivel! in its own back!ard

8r# even better# &erha&s (ndia and the 9nited States could work together on Sri Lanka&olic! 8ba$a's recent tri& to (ndia revealed that now is an o&&ortune ti$e %or dee&ercollaboration between the two countries

?hat should we e>&ect in the co$ing $onths

Strong voices within ?ashington's %oreign &olic! co$$unit! are likel! to advocate %ora $ore hands,o%%# &atient a&&roach with 7olo$bo 6owever# clear $essages should besent to Sirisena and others# not onl! about adhering to so$e o% the bench$arksoutlined during the &residential ca$&aign# but going be!ond that to include$easuress&eci%icto the =a$il co$$unit! , &articularl! as it relates to accountabilit!%or alleged warti$e atrocities# the cra%ting o% a reasonable &ower,sharing arrange$entwith the =a$il :ational lliance# $ilitari+ation and land issuesSo$e $a! argue that in the %ace o% so $an! international crises , ranging %ro$ Abolato the (sla$ic State , the ti$e to %urther &ressuri+e Sri Lanka could not have co$e at a$ore ino&&ortune $o$ent :evertheless# let's kee& in $ind that several countries#

es&eciall! the 9nited States# have alread! used considerable di&lo$atic resources to%acilitate the &assage o% three 6u$an Rights 7ouncil resolutions on Sri Lanka in as$an! !ears ll that ha&&ened as the rab s&ring turned cold and a $ultitude o% otherchallenges $ateriali+ed

8thers $a! %eel that &ushing Sri Lanka hard on hu$an rights or accountabilit! isn'tworth the e%%ort lternatel!# geo&oliticalconsiderations in the region $a! loo$ toolarge to risk alienating a new govern$ent in 7olo$bo?ith a trans%er o% &ower in Sri Lanka# a co$&licated situation has beco$e even $oreco$&le> and the tension between geo&olitics and hu$an rights or *ustice is not a +ero,su$ ga$e 6owever# &ursuing strategies that down&la! Sri Lanka's burning need %or*ustice and accountabilit! are $isguided @oing so would %urther da$age thecredibilit! o% the 8ba$a ad$inistration and its allies# under$ine the legiti$ac! o% the6u$an Rights 7ouncil and# $ost signi%icantl!# ensure that a lasting &eace on theisland re$ains %ar %ro$ certain

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http://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/colombo-powershift-is-delhi-opportunity/http://groundviews.org/2015/01/15/bringing-the-debate-back-home/http://groundviews.org/2015/01/15/bringing-the-debate-back-home/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/30/world/asia/sri-lanka-vows-to-free-tamil-detainees-and-return-land.htmlhttp://www.hrw.org/news/2014/05/19/sri-lanka-comply-rights-council-investigationhttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/10/world/asia/new-president-in-sri-lanka-puts-chinas-plans-in-check.htmlhttp://www.twitter.com/taylordibberthttp://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/colombo-powershift-is-delhi-opportunity/http://groundviews.org/2015/01/15/bringing-the-debate-back-home/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/30/world/asia/sri-lanka-vows-to-free-tamil-detainees-and-return-land.htmlhttp://www.hrw.org/news/2014/05/19/sri-lanka-comply-rights-council-investigationhttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/10/world/asia/new-president-in-sri-lanka-puts-chinas-plans-in-check.htmlhttp://www.twitter.com/taylordibbert


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)osted b! =hava$
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Getting Real About Rights and Justice in Sri Lanka