Human Rights
Rights groups in stern letter to Commonwealth FMs: Sri Lanka hosting CHOGM 2013 grossly inappropriate
Open Letter to Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Subject: The Commonwealth ...
Rights groups in stern letter to Commonwealth FMs: Sri Lanka hosting CHOGM 2013 grossly inappropriate
Open Letter to Commonwealth Foreign Ministers
Subject: The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2013
We are gravely concerned about the ongoing discussions on holding the 2013 CHOGM in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka's foreign minister at the time Rohitha Bogollagama meeting Rt. Hon. Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary General of the Commonwealth at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, 5 June 2009
At the 2009 CHOGM, Sri Lanka’s candidature for hosting the meeting was deferred from 2011 to 2013 because of concerns about human rights abuses by the Sri Lankan government. While war-time abuses have ended, the situation in Sri Lanka continues to be characterised by serious human rights violations, including assault on democratic institutions, such as the media and trade unions. The Panel of Experts appointed by the UN Secretary-General to advise him on the status of allegations of war crimes during the last weeks of the conflict in Sri Lanka has concluded that serious abuses were committed by the government and by the LTTE, and warrant an international investigation.
Considering Sri Lanka to host CHOGM grossly inappropriate
Consideration of Sri Lanka as host of the next CHOGM appears grossly inappropriate in the above context. Awarding the next CHOGM to Sri Lanka would not only undermine the fundamental values on which the Commonwealth is based, but also has the potential to render the Commonwealth’s commitment to human rights and the promise of reforms meaningless.
At this crucial juncture, when the Commonwealth is seeking to strengthen its legitimacy and relevance, there is an urgent need for the institution to take principled decisions that demonstrate its commitment to the fundamental values of democracy and human rights.
Chairmanship another serious concern
The fact that the host country of the CHOGM goes on to hold the chairmanship of the Commonwealth (from 2013 to 2015) is also a serious concern. Handing over leadership of the Commonwealth to a country with a questionable record in terms of human rights and democracy should not be the outcome of an event that will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Harare Declaration.
We note that the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) is looking into ways in which it can fully implement its mandate to
Head of the CHOGM 2011 Taskforce in Perth, Australia - Mr Terry Crane
act on “serious or persistent violations” of the Commonwealth’s fundamental values.
We urge that the CMAG should call on the government of Sri Lanka to meet a specific set of benchmarks within an agreed upon timeline in order to prove itself worthy of hosting the Commonwealth’s emblematic meeting in 2013.
These benchmarks could include:
- Ensuring meaningful domestic implementation of the international human rights treaties to which the Government of Sri Lanka is party and bringing all legislation in line with international human rights standards;
- Providing guarantees that all Sri Lankan people will be treated with dignity and respect as equal citizens and live in an environment in which they can enjoy all fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of Sri Lanka;
- Restoring Constitutional provisions that guarantee separation of powers and re-instating the independence of the three wings of government;
- Restoring the independence of key government institutions, such as the National Human Rights Commission;
- Instituting effective mechanisms to protect journalists, civil society groups and human rights defenders who work for the promotion and protection of human rights;
- Supporting and cooperating with independent and credible domestic and international investigations into all allegations concerning violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in the country, especially related to the conduct of the conflict which ended in 2009; and
- Committing to collaborate with the Office of the UN Secretary General to initiate the implementation of the recommendations set out in the report of the UN Secretary General’s Panel of Experts.
CMAG should conduct its monitoring of these benchmarks in a transparent way, in cooperation with the government and with full participation by civil society.
Sincerely,
Yap Swee Seng, Executive Director
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
Wong Kai Shing, Executive Director
Asian Legal Resource Centre
Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Executive Director
Centre for Policy Alternatives
Maja Daruwala, Director
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
Brad Adams, Asia Director
Sunila Abeysekera,
INFORM Human Rights Documentation Centre, Sri Lanka
Souhayr Belhassen, President
International Federation for Human Rights
Ruki Fernando
Law and Society Trust
Chris Chapman
Minority Rights Group International
Edward Mortimer CMG, Chair
Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace & Justice
1 Comment to “Rights groups in stern letter to Commonwealth FMs: Sri Lanka hosting CHOGM 2013 grossly inappropriate”
September 13, 2011 at 7:55 pm
Come on guys, give Sri Lanka [ read the r DYNASTY]BECAUSE THEY ARE THER state, EH, WHERE WAS i, YES, GIVE EM A CHANCE OKAY? AFTER ALL, WHAT’S A FEW DEATHS BETWEEN FRIENDS / lASANTHA, sIVARAM EKBELIGODA AND A FEW OTHERS, NOYAHR WAS AFTER ALL NOT DONE TO DEATH, AND THE UTHAYAN GUY MERELY GOT HIS SKULL BASHED IN. OF COURSE, IQBAL SKIDADDLED WITH SECOND TO SPARE AND SO HE MISSED THE PRIVILEGE OF LYING [ AT LEAST HIS ASHES] IN SOME FORSAKEN JUNGLE UNDERGROWTH IN SINHARAJA ALONGSIDE THOSE OF EKNELIGODA AND DAMN THOSE CHANNEL FOUR ‘FABRICATIONS’ DAMN IT ALL…HEY, WHAT’S THE BID DEAL. PEOPLE MUST DIE, MUSTN’T THEY? OKAY, OKAY, WE’VE GOT A RIGHT TO DECIDE HOW WE DIE, SO WHAT IF OTHERS ARROGATE THAT RIGHT TO THEMSELVES…FOR JUST A FEW YEARS, HECK, THAT SHOULD NOT STOP THIS IMBECILIC CLUB CALLED THE CMAG AND CHOGM CHUG ALONG, HAVE THEIR LITTLE HOLIDAY, BOOST TOURISM A TEENY LITTLE BIT. BLOODY HELL MAN, JOURNOS MUST DIE, EVEN IF THEY’VE GOT TO BE BUSHWHACKED, CHOPPED UP WITH SWORDS, DRILLED THROUGH WITH BULLETS, HAVE THEIR BRAINS SMASHED IN AND THEIR WIVES AND KIDS DRIVEN INTO HIDING FOR DEAR LIFE….EVEN IF THE FRIGGING COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS BLOCK THEM FROM THEIR RIGHT TO POLITICAL ASYLUM.
SAFETY OF PRECIOUS LIFE , YOU KNOW ? AND THIS BLOODY RIGHTS GROUP HAS TO SPOON-FEED THE STUPID CHOGM ABOUT WHAT IT MUST DO WHEN IT MUST IN ADVANCE ANTICIPATE DEVELOPMENTS AND CRY HALT TO THIS FARCE ???
aH, I SIMPLY LEEEERRVE THAT SENTENCE IN THE PROTEST NOTE ” Restoring Constitutional provisions that guarantee separation of powers and re-instating the independence of the three wings of government” hEEE, HEE , HEE, HEEE !SO WHO’S GONNA DO THIS RESTORING AND REINSTATING ? CAREFUL BOYS, THE RAJAPAKSA’S MIGHT FALL ALL OVER THEMSELVES IN A RUSH TO DO YOUR BIDDING.
tELL ME, WHERE YOU GUYS LIVING ? SL OR UTOPIA ?
RESTORING AND REINSTATING !!! AS BILL CLINTON WOULD PUT IT ” THAT’S GOOD. YEP. THAT’S GOOD’
lISTEN, THIS GOVERNMENT WILL WIN MORE ELECTIONS SIMPLY BECAUSE IT KNOWS WHAT MAKES THE MADDING EXTREMIST ELECTORATE VOTE FOR IT AND BECAUSE IT KNOW OTHER METHODS OF MAKING SURE THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF BALLOTS GET INTO THOSE BOXES.THEY LEARNED HOSE LITTLE TRICKS FROM THE JR AND PREMADASA ERAS.
SO, WHO’S GONNA DO THE RESTORATION AND REINSTATING ?
a YOUTHFUL GLADIATOR ASKED THE CHAMPION GLADIATOR ” HEY, WHAT’S YOUR SECRET OF SUCCESS? HOW DO YOU ALWAYS WIN? TO WHICH THE CHAMP ANSWERED “BECAUSE I MAKE SURE I DON’T LOSE’.
NOW THEN, UNLESS SOMEONE COMES UP WITH THAT WINNING FORMULA I’M AFRAID THAT ALL THIS TALK IS JUST SO MUCH HOT AIR AND YOU BLOODY WELL KNOW IT. AND THEY LAUGH UP THEIR AS..ES AT IT ALL AND KEEP GOING ON FROM VICTORY TO VICTORY.
NOW IF THAT AIN’T STUPID, I DON’T KNOW WHAT STUPID IS.
AND THIS, I SUPPOSE, IS WHAT JAYADEVA UYANGODA AND MANY OTHERS CALL A ‘ FUNCTIONING DEMOCRACY’. I HAVE A WORD FOR IT THAT IS UNFORTUNATELY NOT PRINTABLE.THERE’S SOMETHING NAUSEATING WHEN COWARDS STRUT AROUND MASQUERADING AS PACIFISTS,PEACE DOVES AND MODERATES.TO MY MIND, A SOCIO-POLITICAL ETHOS THAT HAS HAD ITS GUTS KICKED OUT OF IT REMINDS ME OF A WILDERNESS…FOR THERE TOO THE ABSENCE OF CONFLICT IS CALLED ” PEACE’.. AND, IS THERE A MORE PATHETIC LOOKING WILDERNESS THAN THAT OF A GRAVEYARD?
WELCOME TO SRI LANKA, DEMOCRACY’S GRAVEYARD.WELCOME TO PEACE!