As the UN Human Rights Council begins its Session on Mach 27th in Geneva, there are reports that United Kingdom is planning to support Sri Lankan Government at the Council from facing UN inquiry, despite a recent report by the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) about Sri Lankan Military run "rape Camps", where Tamil women are being held as sex slaves according to EIN News.
According to the report:
"A senior officer came into the room and was asked to take his pick, like we were meat in a meat market. He looked around and chose me. He took me to another room and raped me"
"Two of the women describe being detained in a group in one room, available for any soldier to come and chose from and take to an adjacent room or tent to be raped," says ITJP.
48 of the victims had been detained under the Government of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and 7 of them under the new Government of President Maithripala Sirisena.
ITJP has also provided details of six military men including a major and a leiutenant colonel who are alleged perpetrators of rape and torture in the military.
According to UN Internal Review Report on Sri Lanka around 70 thousand Tamils were killed in six months in 2009 and Tamil women were sexually assaulted and raped by Sri Lankan Security forces which have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.
To address these issues, numerous resolutions on Sri Lanka were passed in UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) since the war ended, seven years ago. Time and space in good faith with encouragement were given to Sri Lanka to implement UN Resolutions but no concrete actions were taken by both the previous and the present government. Victim groups have accused Sri Lankan government of deliberately delaying actions without any justification.
There are reports that UK is inclined towards supporting Sri Lankan Government's request to a Roll – over Resolution with extension of time, literally bailing-out Sri Lanka from being hauled before International Criminal Court (ICC).
British Civil Society groups have initiated an on-line campaign to urge UK Prime Minister Theresa May to take appropriate steps at the UN Human Rights Council, in March 2017 to Refer Sri Lanka to the UN General Assembly for International Criminal Court (ICC) Referral, like North Korea.
