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Sri Lanka: Women’s Insecurity in the North and East December 20th, 2011

The International Crisis Group has issued a new report that looks at the serious lack of security for women in the north and east of the country in the aftermath of the long civil war.

Sri Lanka: Women’s Insecurity in the North and East warns that the heavily militarized and centralized control of those areas – with almost exclusively male, Sinhalese security forces – creates serious problems for women’s safety, sense of security and ability to access assistance. According to the report, they have little control over their lives and no reliable institutions to which to turn. The ICG is concerned that the Sri Lankan government has mostly dismissed women’s security issues and exacerbated fears, while the international community has failed to appreciate and respond effectively to the challenges they face.

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Christians join Civic Activists in Seeking Justice for the Disappeared in Sri Lanka December 13th, 2011

Protests call on authorities to release detainees and halt rights violations.

Christians and human rights groups joined families of missing people and political prisoners in a protest in Colombo yesterday to demand the release of their loved ones, to learn their whereabouts and against crackdowns on political activists.

According to United Nations figures, more than 12,000 people went missing during the country’s civil war and rights groups believe there are more than 8,000 political prisoners languishing in prison.

The protesters held photos, placards, banners and shouted slogans as they marched through the city center.

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Sri Lanka Rally Seeks Unity Among Religious Groups June 29th, 2011

An inter-denominational rally designed to bring the nation’s Christians closer together was held in Colombo recently.

The JHU, a conservative, predominantly Buddhist political group, is shepherding an anti-conversion bill through the Sri Lanka parliament that many Christians fear will seriously interfere with their charity work.

Thousand of believers, including Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, members of the Ceylon Reformed Church and evangelical groups, joined in worship and song at the city’s main Anglican church, the Cathedral of Christ the Living Savior, on June 25.

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UN Envoy Sees Evidence of Serious International Crime in Sri Lanka Video June 7th, 2011

Since late last year, the United Nations has closely studied the video that allegedly showed acts committed during the civil war that ended in 2009. “I conclude on the basis of the extensive technical evidence we obtained from independent experts that what is depicted in the video indeed happened,” Mr. Heyns told the Human Rights Council in Geneva, adding that “I believe that a prima facie case of serious international crimes has been made.” He said an international panel should investigate the evidence.

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Sri Lankan Christians Call for Genuine Reconciliation May 2nd, 2011

Twenty-five Sri Lankan Christians, including two Oblate priests, issued a statement that is believed to have prompted the recent release of the report of the UN Secretary General’s panel of experts on the war in Sri Lanka. The group has called for open discussion of what happened in the final months of the war, and the current situation in the north where the majority of Tamils live.

According to their letter:

We believe that it is left to us Sri Lankans to establish and acknowledge the truth, apologize for wrongs done, ensure justice and accountability, and through measures such as reparations, show our care and support towards those who have suffered such as families of those killed and disappeared, those who have been injured during war and due to torture, those who continue to be detained without charges and without due process, those who had been displaced and lost properties etc. It is our contention that truth, justice, accountability together with care and reparation for victims are essential ingredients for progress, development of a post war Sri Lanka, along with a longer term political solution that addresses grievances of Tamil community that led to the birth of the LTTE and full scale war.

But it is our assessment that we have been unable to make significant progress on any of the above fronts within Sri Lanka, particularly in the last two years since the end of the war. The process of LLRC [Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission] had not given us much confidence though we still hope for positive outcomes from the LLRC, particularly the publication of it’s final report, conclusions and recommendations as soon as possible, which would have the potential to serve as a valuable resource for our reconciliation efforts. In this context we believe international assistance can also be crucial in our post war rebuilding and reconciliation efforts. Thus, we find it encouraging that establishment of the truth, apology for wrongs done, justice, accountability and reparation for victims is reflected in the conclusions and recommendations of the panel of experts appointed by the UNSG.

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UN Report on Sri Lanka War Crimes Released April 26th, 2011

The panel of experts set up to advise Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on accountability issues with respect to the final stages of the conflict in Sri Lanka has found credible reports of war crimes committed by both the Government and Tamil rebels and calls for genuine investigations into the allegations, according to a report released in full by the Secretary General yesterday.

According to a statement released by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

“The United Nations has today made public the advisory report of the Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts on accountability with respect to the final stages of the decades-long armed conflict in Sri Lanka, which was submitted to him on 12 April 2011. The decision to release the report was made as a matter of transparency and in the broader public interest.”

“The report was shared in its entirety with the Government of Sri Lanka on 12 April. The Secretary-General has indicated his willingness to publicize the Government’s response alongside the report. This invitation was extended to the Sri Lankan Government throughout the week, including again on Saturday by the Secretary-General to the External Affairs Minister of Sri Lanka. The Government has not responded to this offer, which nonetheless still stands.”

Read the full report…

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