Pillay’s report cites victimization of HR activists
Sunday 26 August 2012
By Namini Wijedasa
Human rights activists in Sri Lanka were victimized during and after the passing of the US-led resolution in the UN Human Rights Council in March, Navi Pillay, the UN human rights chief, revealed last week.
Her report to the UN secretary general on ‘Cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights’ was released last Monday. It provides information for the period June 2011 to July 2012 on “alleged reprisals” against “individuals and groups who seek to cooperate or have cooperated with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights.”
Other countries referred to in the report are Algeria, Bahrain, Belarus, China, Colombia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malawi, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.
Pillay says the adoption of the resolution on reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka “resulted in significant escalation of hostile and defamatory media reporting in Sri Lanka, which primarily focused on human rights defenders in Geneva.”
It says Sunila Abeysekera, Nimalka Fernando and Sandya Ekneligoda were questioned or harassed in Geneva either by members of the Sri Lanka embassy or by members of the Sri Lanka delegation.
Between March 14 and 17, 2012, several articles appeared in the Sri Lankan press relating to human rights defenders, accusing them of working with the LTTE. Some of these were reproduced in official government sites.
Public threats
Her submission makes special reference to Mervyn Silva, minister of Public Relations. She says he reportedly named several activists as “traitors” and threatened to break the limbs of any exiled journalists who dared to return to Sri Lanka after making statements against the country abroad. He spoke at a public demonstration in Kiribathgoda.
She specified however that External Affairs minister G.L. Peiris later condemned Silva for making public threats of violence while adding that such remarks could neither be condoned nor justified.
Sunday 26 August 2012
By Namini WijedasaHuman rights activists in Sri Lanka were victimized during and after the passing of the US-led resolution in the UN Human Rights Council in March, Navi Pillay, the UN human rights chief, revealed last week. Her report to the UN secretary general on ‘Cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights’ was released last Monday. It provides information for the period June 2011 to July 2012 on “alleged reprisals” against “individuals and groups who seek to cooperate or have cooperated with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights.”
Other countries referred to in the report are Algeria, Bahrain, Belarus, China, Colombia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malawi, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.
Pillay says the adoption of the resolution on reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka “resulted in significant escalation of hostile and defamatory media reporting in Sri Lanka, which primarily focused on human rights defenders in Geneva.”
It says Sunila Abeysekera, Nimalka Fernando and Sandya Ekneligoda were questioned or harassed in Geneva either by members of the Sri Lanka embassy or by members of the Sri Lanka delegation.
Between March 14 and 17, 2012, several articles appeared in the Sri Lankan press relating to human rights defenders, accusing them of working with the LTTE. Some of these were reproduced in official government sites.
Public threats
Her submission makes special reference to Mervyn Silva, minister of Public Relations. She says he reportedly named several activists as “traitors” and threatened to break the limbs of any exiled journalists who dared to return to Sri Lanka after making statements against the country abroad. He spoke at a public demonstration in Kiribathgoda.
She specified however that External Affairs minister G.L. Peiris later condemned Silva for making public threats of violence while adding that such remarks could neither be condoned nor justified.
