United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has said that he condemns the continuous threats and attacks on human rights personnel and civil rights groups in Sri Lanka.
Releasing a statement to international media, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has said that even parties who express their support to the UN Human Rights probe into Sri Lanka on war crimes, are being threatened.
”Notwithstanding the commendable progress the Sri Lankan Government has made in resettlement and reconstruction, the High Commissioner firmly believes that a more fundamental and far-reaching accountability process in Sri Lanka, addressing both past and ongoing violations, is absolutely necessary for Sri Lankans to come to terms with their past, end impunity, achieve reconciliation between communities and strengthen the rule of law”, the rights Commissioner’s statement said.
Al Hussein said that certain Sri Lankan politicians have demanded immediate arrest of parliamentarian and activists who participated for the Human Rights summit last March.
“OHCHR has now set up a dedicated OHCHR team to carry out the comprehensive investigation. Terms of reference have been published, as well as a call for submissions. The team is giving priority to gathering and corroborating first-hand information in order to ensure an independent and impartial investigation. This will be a highly complex task given the time period and the gravity of the many cases and incidents to be investigated”, he said
The High Commissioner maintained that these threats were inched towards interfering the United Nation’s human rights probe into alleged war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan forces during the three decade long war.
