Leaked emails show UAE shipped weapons to Libya, violated UN resolution 

Leaked emails also suggest that the UN was aware of the conflict of interest between its Libya envoy and the UAE 
Pro-government forces fire their gun off the back of a truck in Libya (AFP) 

Dania Akkad-Thursday 12 November 2015

The United Arab Emirates shipped weapons to its allies in Libya in violation of a UN resolution and with the apparent knowledge of the US government, according to leaked Emirati emails shared with the New York Times this week.

The emails also make it clear that the United Nations was aware of a potential conflict of interest between its envoy to Libya and the Gulf country. Last week, MEE published another email showing that Bernadino Leon, the UN envoy to Libya, was covertly working for the Gulf country to support one side in the war even while mediating between the two parties. 

Another leaked email, reported by The Guardian last week, showed that Leon received an offer for a $50,000-a-month job training diplomats in the UAE in June. After negotiating the job's housing allowance details throughout the summer - while also conducting negotiations, he will start as the director general of the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in December. 

The new emails show that the country's diplomats were aware that their activities violated a UN embargo, outlining in the correspondence how they might hide what they were doing from a UN monitoring panel. 

"The fact of the matter is that the UAE violated the UN Security Council Resolution on Libya and continues to do so," Ahmed al-Qasimi, a senior Emirati diplomat, wrote in a 4 August email to Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE's ambassador to the UN. 

If the diplomats had complied with the procedures outlined by the UN resolution, Qasimi wrote, it would "expose how deeply we are involved in Libya ... We should try to provide a cover to lessen the damage."

Libya is in the midst of a civil war to determine control of Africa’s largest oil reserves.

On one side, there is the Tripoli-based General National Congress (GNC), which is backed militarily by the Misratan-led Alliance of Libya Dawn, and is also said to receive support from Qatar and Turkey.

On the other, the House of Representatives (HoR) was elected in June last year to replace the GNC, but it was forced to move east from Tripoli after Libya Dawn seized control of the capital in September. The HoR is allied with the Libyan National Army, which is headed by veteran general Khalifa Haftar - both have been heavily backed by the UAE, including militarily when Abu Dhabi began bombing Libya Dawn positions in Tripoli last year.

Officially, Leon has been attempting to broker a peace agreement between the HoR and GNC to form a unity government and end an ongoing civil war that has killed over 4,000 people in 18 months.

But the email published last week shows that Leon, in consultation with the UAE, planned to make the GNC "disappear". 

Instead, he planned to unite the HoR, which was ridden with infighting at the time, and gain international backing for Haftar, whose anti-Islamist forces are presumably among recipients of the UAE's arms shipments which the latest emails indicate ran at least through August. 

US, UN awareness

Other emails referenced in the New York Times piece show that there were already tensions between US and UAE officials over Emirati arm shipments.

As early as February, the US officials were reportedly complaining that an Emirati shipment of 40 UAE-made drones to Egypt had violated international missile control agreements and would have triggered a mandatory review under US law that could lead to sanctions, according to a 30 September email sent from Ethan Goldrich, the deputy chief of the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

Goldrich also reportedly said in the email that the State Department would need to disclose its findings to Congress. It was not immediately clear on Thursday what the State Department had found, nor why a mandatory sanctions review was not set in motion.

A summary included in emails between the US and UAE officials reported in the New York Times showed the Americans protesting that Emirates-based Morrison Commodities, possibly in collaboration with a Saudi firm called Saudi International Military Services, was violating the Libyan arms embargo.

"The US urges the UAE to investigate this development and take immediate measures to halt any such transfers," the summary is reported to say.

The new emails also suggest that the UN was aware of the conflict of interest between Leon's role and his contact with the UAE.

In an email dated 27 August, Jeffrey Feltman, the UN's under secretary general for political affairs and a former US diplomat, asked Emirati leaders to allow Leon to continue as a mediator, hoping that an agreement could be signed. 

"I could ask the secretary general to call you to make the request," Feltman writes, apparently referring to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

When MEE asked the UN last week whether Ban Ki-Moon was aware of Leon's communication with the UAE, a spokesperson responded: “All I can say is that the secretary-general expects envoys to be focused on their current role. The secretary-general is appreciative of Mr Leon’s work and the progress [in Libya’s peace process] speaks for itself.”

During a press conference at the UN in New York last week, Leon defended his attempts to broker peace in Libya, saying that he had "followed the procedures" in relation to his new job in the UAE.

“Hundreds of Libyans have been working for a year on this agreement,” he told reporters. “Is it fair now to say that the result of all this work is biased?”

Nephews of Venezuelan first lady to be arraigned in US court

FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2014 file photo, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, greet supporters as they arrive for a march for peace in Caracas, Venezuela. Two nephews of Venezuela’s powerful first lady Cilia Flores were arrested in Haiti on charges of conspiring to smuggle 800 kilograms of cocaine into the U.S. and will be arraigned in New York, three people familiar with the case said Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015. (Fernando Llano, File/Associated Press)

By Jorge Rueda and Joshua Goodman-AP November 12 

CARACAS, Venezuela — Two nephews of Venezuela’s powerful first lady are facing arraignment in New York after being arrested in Haiti on charges of conspiring to smuggle 800 kilograms of cocaine into the U.S., people familiar with the case said.

The arrest of Efrain Campos and Francisco Flores is likely to exacerbate already tense relations between the U.S. and Venezuela and cast a hard look at U.S. accusations of drug trafficking at the highest levels of President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist administration.

The case also comes just three weeks before key legislative elections that opinion polls have been suggesting could hand the ruling party its worst defeat in 16 years as Venezuela’s struggles with triple-digit inflation and widespread shortages of basic goods.

“The timing is hardly ideal,” Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue think tank, said in an email after the arrests were revealed Wednesday. “The arrests could give Maduro the excuse he was hoping for to declare a state of emergency and postpone the elections. He will blame the arrests on U.S. imperialism and see them as an attempt to undermine his government.”

Speaking on television Wednesday night, influential National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello didn’t directly mention the arrests of first lady Cilia Flores’ nephews but warned that Washington is trying to destabilize Maduro’s government before the elections.

 

“We have to once again denounce North American imperialism for its attacks on our country and for its lackeys here in Venezuela,” said Cabello.

Venezuela’s Communications Ministry and Foreign Ministry declined to comment about the reported arrests, saying they had no information. Maduro and Flores didn’t issue any comment.

Campos and Flores were arrested Tuesday, flown to the United States and scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in a federal court in New York, said a U.S. law enforcement official who insisted on anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the case.

An indictment filed in New York charges the pair with one count of narcotics conspiracy. It alleges that the men participated in meetings in Venezuela regarding a plot to smuggle cocaine into the United States via Honduras, but provided no other details.

The men were arrested in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, after arriving from Venezuela aboard a private plane, said Michael Vigil, a former head of international operations at the Drug Enforcement Administration who was briefed by U.S. authorities about the lengthy undercover operation. Both men were carrying diplomatic passports even though they don’t have diplomatic immunity, he said.

Vigil also said Campos had claimed to law enforcement that he is the son of Flores and stepson of Maduro.

Another person briefed on the incident, who agreed to talk about the case only if not quoted by name, said Campos is the son of a deceased sister of Flores and was partly raised by the first lady and Maduro.

 

Flores, who Maduro calls the “First Combatant,” is one of the most influential members of Venezuela’s revolutionary government and a constant presence alongside her husband whenever he appears in public. The two traveled this week to Saudi Arabia for a summit and she was expected to be with the president Thursday for a planned speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council at a special meeting in Geneva called at Venezuela’s request.

A former president of the National Assembly who is now running for congress, Flores became romantically involved with Maduro in the 1990s while serving as lawyer for the then-jailed Hugo Chavez, a charismatic army officer who went on to become president and initiate a socialist program for Venezuela. Maduro was one of many leftist activists drawn to Chavez following his arrest for a failed 1992 coup attempt. Flores and Maduro formally wed in 2013 shortly after Maduro was elected president following Chavez’s death.

American prosecutors have been steadily stepping up pressure on high-ranking members of Venezuela’s military, police and government officials for their alleged role in making the country an important transit zone for narcotics heading to the U.S. and Europe. The U.S. government says more than 200 tons a year of cocaine flows through Venezuela, about a third of Colombia’s estimated production.

But while several Venezuelan officials, including a former defense minister and head of military intelligence, have been indicted or sanctioned in the U.S., and many more are under investigation, no drug probes had previously touched Maduro’s inner circle.

___

Associated Press writer Jorge Rueda reported this story in Caracas and AP writer Joshua Goodman reported from Bogota, Colombia. AP writers Alicia A. Caldwell in Washington, Tom Hays in New York, Fabiola Sanchez in Caracas and Jacobo Garcia in Bogota contributed to this report.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Azerbaijan releases human rights activist but wife remains in jail

Court orders Arif Yunus to be freed on health grounds as fears grow for his wife Leyla. RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani service reports

Leyla and Arif Yunus before their arrest last year. Photograph: Yunus family

RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, part of the New East network-Thursday 12 November 2015 

Azerbaijani human rights activist Arif Yunus, who has been in prison since his arrest last year with his wife Leyla Yunus, has been released from jail due to his deteriorating health.

The Baku appeals court granted his release at the request of his lawyers, but barred him from leaving the capital.

In August Arif Yunus was sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of fraud and tax evasion. His wife Leyla, the head of the Baku-based Institute for Peace and Democracy, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years on the same charges. They are both awaiting trial for treason.

The Yunuses, who deny all the charges, say the cases against them are politically motivated. Their sentences have been widely condemned by international human rights groups.

Arif Yunus’s legal situation remains unchanged despite his release. Before leaving the courthouse, he was required to sign a document barring him from leaving Baku.

The request for his release was based on a medical examination by German physicians, who said his extremely high blood pressure put him at risk of a heart attack.

After leaving the court, Arif Yunus told journalists that his wife’s medical condition was even worse than his. He said that Leyla Yunus has hepatitis C, diabetes and kidney stones.

“If they send her to the prison for women, it will kill her,” he said.

Leyla Yunus, 59, is a vocal critic of Azerbaijan’s human rights record. Prior to her arrest in July 2014, she had been working on a project documenting political prisoners in the country.

Arif Yunus, 60, is a well-known historian and researcher of conflicts across the Caucasus, focusing mainly on the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mostly Armenian-populated region that Armenian-backed separatists seized from Azerbaijan during a war in the early 1990s.

Both of the Yunuses are advocates of peace and reconciliation between neighbouring Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have been in conflict for more than two decades over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Leyla Yunus is among several activists, journalists, and government critics who are behind bars in Azerbaijan, where rights groups say the president, Ilham Aliyev, has pursued a campaign to silence dissent.

Thailand’s trans sex workers seek empowerment, not pity

Court orders Arif Yunus to be freed on health grounds as fears grow for his wife Leyla. RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani service reports

When asked if she feels society looks down upon her for her chosen career, Aris “Alice” Sangkharom says her actions, not her occupation, should determine how people publicly treat her. Image by Julia Boccagno. Thailand, 2015.

After conducting research, Rapeepun Jommaroeng (above) says many transgender people view Pattaya as a place opportunity in terms of making income. Image by Julia Boccagno. Thailand, 2015.

By Julia Boccagno-11th November 2015

, PATTAYA, Thailand—Thailand—It’s 8pm in this popular beach resort, well-known for its nightlife. The flashes of electrifying neon signs stand out against the black sky; the sounds of competing bar music make it impossible to decipher any lyrics; the sights of men wrestling with cobras make tourists go googly eyed with amazement and anticipation.

Thailand’s Trans Sex Workers Seek Empowerment, Not Pity by Thavam Ratna

India: Lalu Prasad Yadav = Corruption

Victory For Lalu Prasad Yadav In Bihar Is Defeat For Anti-Corruption Movement In India

by N.S.Venkataraman

( November 10, 2015, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) In recent times, India has seen strong anti corruption movement led by Anna Hazare during Manmohan Singh’s governance. However, the movement lost it’s steam a bit, with one leading member of the anti corruption movement opting to get into active politics, forming a political party and then successfully using the image that he gained as anti corruption crusader to win election and become Chief Minister of a state. The sad part was that he himself has been now accused for activities which are widely suspected to be not honest, particularly with regard to the way money was collected for election campaigning and later on, the party itself got split with serious allegations being made against the founder , who was once hailed as anti corruption crusader.

This development certainly brought down the morale of the anti corruption crusaders in India. Now, the anti corruption movement in India has met the death blow, with Lalu Prasad Yadav, who was convicted for corruption charges, leading his party to a massive victory in the recent Bihar election.

Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Chief Minister of Bihar for several years and faced serious corruption charges , on account of what is now notoriously known as fodder scam. He was convicted by the court and was jailed and as a result of conviction, he cannot contest election or occupy ministerial post for several years. Lalu Prasad Yadav is on bail now and his appeal is pending in the court.

Many thought that such a politician against whom corruption charges have been proved in the court resulting in his conviction, would face humiliation and would have to go away from public life in future. But, this has not happened.

Inspite of Lalu Prasad Yadav being on bail, his party under his leadership contested the Bihar poll in alliance with Nitish Kumar’s party ,though Nitish Kumar has claimed himself to be a strong anti corruption crusader on several occasions. But, Nitish Kumar has no hesitation in aligning with Lalu Prasad Yadav ,who is a convicted person on corruption charges.

What is even more disturbing for the anti corruption crusaders in India is that the party led by Lalu Prasad Yadav has won large number of seats in Bihar assembly election and has emerged as the party with largest number of members in the assembly. This scenario has caused severe set back for anti corruption movement in India.

Though Nitish Kumar will be the Chief Ministerof the new government in Bihar,, Lalu Prasad Yadav will have many of his party men as ministers in the cabinet and obviously he will have full say in the governance of Bihar for the next five years. In other words, a person convicted of corruption charges and barred from contesting elections for number of years will be virtually ruling Bihar.

Now, under the circumstances, where does the anti corruption movement in India go from here.?

Bihar voters have given a decisive blow to the anti corruption movement in India and have rendered the movement impotent and weak , by exercising their vote in favour of a person convicted for corruption charges.

While Lalu Prasad Yadav is having the last laugh, several other politicians in India, who are facing corruption charges or have already been convicted by the court and got the proceedings stayed in higher court with judicial process continuing, will be laughing up their sleeve. The voters of Bihar have given a new hope for such political leaders facing corruption charges.

Certainly, as of now, the anti corruption movement in India has lost the fight. It need to get it’s strength back to resurrect itself but if the voters would tolerate corrupt political leaders, the voice of anti corruption movement in India is bound to be in the wilderness.

Modi visit: praise and protest as Indian PM arrives in UK

THURSDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2015
The arrival of Narendra Modi, leader of the world's largest democracy, is described by David Cameron as a "historic opportunity". But protesters condemn his record on free speech and human rights.

With a population of over 1.25 billion, and the number of middle class households expected to soar from over 110 to 547 million by 2025, India is a land of business opportunities - which the UK government hopes to exploit.

Writing on his Facebook page ahead of his visit, Mr Modi said his discussions would particularly focus on defence manufacturing, clean energy and co-operation in science, technology and education.

And with 1.4 million people from India or of Indian descent living in the UK, cultural ties are deep-rooted too. On Friday some 60,000 people will attend a rally at Wembley Stadium to hear Mr Modi speak.

But not everyone has welcomed his arrival.

Freedom of speech

More than 200 writers including Ian McEwan, Salman Rushdie and Val McDermid have signed an open letter to David Cameron calling on the British governement to raise the issue of freedom of expression in India.

The letter raises concerns about "the rising climate of fear, growing intolerance and violence towards critical voices who challenge orthodoxy or fundamentalism in India", citing the deaths of three "public intellectuals" in the last two years, and at least 37 journalists since 1992.

Since April, Mr Modi's government has cancelled the licences allowing foreign funding of about 9,000 charities including the Indian arm of the environmental charity Greenpeace, which it accuses of damaging India's economic interests by campaigning against mining and nuclear projects.

Controversial politician

The first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in over a decade marks another reversal of fortune for Narendra Modi, who was born into poverty as the son of a tea seller.

Elected in 2014 after a landslide general election victory for his Hindu nationalist BJP party, his charismatic style has drawn a passionate following among a variety of interest groups in India.

But his alleged failure in 2002 while serving as Gujurat chief minister, to quell rioting in which hundreds of Muslims died, caused the UK government to refuse to deal with him for a ten year period. He was banned from entering Britain until 2012.

The Awaaz Network, a group co-ordinating protests against the current visit, sparked outrage when it projected the words "Modi not Welcome" with an image of a swastika onto the Houses of Parliament on Remembrance Sunday. Awaaz told the International Business Times that the Modi government had unleashed a violent "authoritarian agenda that seeks to undermine India's democratic and secular fabric."

As a motorcade swept Mr Modi and the Queen towards Buckingham Palace, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians and Dalits joined protests outside Downing Street shouting "Modi go home".

Rising food prices push India's retail inflation to four-month high in October

BY MANOJ KUMAR- Thu Nov 12, 2015

Rising prices for some food products and firm demand during the festival season pushed up India's retail inflation to a four-month high in October, making it less likely the central bank will cut interest rates at its policy review next month.

Retail inflation in India has slowed sharply, but a surge in prices of items like lentils threatens the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose party lost elections in India's third-most populous state on Sunday.

Higher demand for consumer durables and food items during the festival season beginning in October also contributed.

India's annual consumer price inflation edged up to 5.0 percent in October, up for the third straight month, compared with 4.41 percent a month ago, government data showed on Thursday.

Industrial production grew at a slower than expected pace of 3.6 percent in September, dampened by a slower expansion in the mining sector, data showed.

Analysts said inflation may moderate once festival demand softens and prices of lentils and vegetables fall as imports increase. Retail food inflation in October came in at 5.25 percent, higher than 3.88 percent recorded in September.

"The uptick in inflation related to the festive demand, if any, will dissipate over the next month," said Aditi Nayar, an economist at ICRA, the Indian arm of Rating Agency Moody's.

Food items, which accounts for almost half the CPI basket, have increased in price up to one-third, forcing the government to import pulses and onions to offset the impact of a drought for the second straight year in much of the country.

Raghuram Rajan, governor of the Reserve Bank of India, has said the central bank expected to meet its 6 percent retail inflation target for January and will focus on its 5 percent target for March 2017.

He cut the benchmark policy rate by a half percentage point to 6.75 percent in September, after months of pleading by government leaders and industrial groups.

Analysts said the central bank may leave rates unchanged in its policy review meeting in December and might wait for the US Fed decision on interest rates and cues from the annual budget in February before considering a rate cut.

"We expect the RBI to stay on hold for the next two policy meetings. A residual cut of 25 bps is possible by March/April 2016, depending on the Union Budget outcome," said A. Prasanna, economist at ICICI Securities Primary Dealership.

"We expect headline inflation to average around 5.8 percent in the January to March quarter, in line with the RBI's trajectory," he said.

(Additional reporting by Karen Rebelo and Neha Dasgupta in MUMBAI; Editing by Malini Menon and Nick Macfie)

Maternal mortality falls by almost 50% - UN report

Pregnancy-related deaths have fallen by almost half in the past 25 years, according to a report by United Nations agencies published in The Lancet.

Maternal mortality has fallen by almost half since 1990

12 November 2012

Around 303,000 women died of complications during pregnancy or up to six weeks after giving birth in 2015 - down from 532,000 in 1990.

Officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the results showed "huge progress".

However, only nine countries hit targets set by the UN.

"This report will show that by the end of 2015 maternal mortality will have dropped by 44% from its levels from 1990," said Dr Lale Say, coordinator for reproductive health and research at the WHO.

But she warned that the progress was "uneven" - with 99% of deaths happening in developing countries.

While 39 countries reported "significant progress" in reducing pregnancy-related deaths, only nine countries achieved their targets.

"Many countries with high maternal death rates will make little progress, or will fall behind, over the next 15 years if we don't improve the current number of available midwives and other health workers with midwifery skills," said Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of the UN Population Fund.

Eastern Asia saw the greatest improvement, with maternal mortality falling from approximately 95 to 27 per 100,000 live births.

The UN now aims to reduce the global ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 by 2030.

Child mortality falls by 50% since 1990 - report

Child mortality has fallen by more than 50% since 1990, a report by the World Health Organization and UN children's agency Unicef says.

The greatest risk is during the first few days after birth, the report says

9 September 2015

It says that 25 years ago 12.7 million children under five died, but this year the figure is projected to drop below six million for the first time.

But aid agencies warn that huge challenges remain.

They point out that the UN target of reducing child mortality by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015 will not be met.

The rate fell by 53% over this period, the report says.

Stark inequality

"We have to acknowledge tremendous global progress," said Unicef's deputy executive director Geeta Rao Gupta.

"But the far too large number of children still dying from preventable causes before their fifth birthday... should impel us to redouble our efforts to do what we know needs to be done".

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Lowest and highest rates of child deaths

• Luxemburg and Nordic countries including as Iceland, Finland and Norwayare among those with the lowest deaths among under fives with less than three per 1,000 births
• Oil-rich Angola has the highest rate of child deaths up to 254 per 1,000 births, followed by Somalia, Chad and Central African Republic

* Figures from World Health Organization Child Mortality Report based on the upper bound figure for deaths of children under five per 1,000 live births in 2015

---

The report says that 16,000 children under the age of five still die every day. Many become victims of preventable illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhoea or malaria.

And almost half the deaths are linked to malnutrition, the document says.

The greatest risk is during the first few days after birth - 45% of all deaths occur before the child is a month old.

The report also highlights the stark inequality of life chances for the world's children.

It says that those born in sub-Saharan Africa have a 1-in-12 chance of dying before their fifth birthday. In wealthy nations the risk is 1-in-147.

Disappearances in Sri Lanka and the visit of the UN Working Group on Disappearances

Picture from ICMP

• by Ruki Fernando 
• - on 11/11/2015 

In the 35 year history of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (“WGEID”), Sri Lanka ranks number two, shamefully, in the numbers of disappearance cases the WGEID has dealt with.[1] The latest figures from the WGEID are as follows: total cases transmitted to the Government for clarification – 12,341; total cases clarified by the Government – 6,551; total cases clarified by other sources – 40; outstanding cases – 5,750.[2]Further, between 2006 (when disappearances escalated drastically) to date, Sri Lanka has had the largest number of disappearance cases, 637 cases, transmitted to any government (Pakistan was second with 169 cases). There is also a clear spike visible between 2006 and 2009: 2006 had 191 cases, 2007 had 164 cases, 2008 had 147 cases, and 2009 had 123 cases.[3]

Disappearances in Sri Lanka and the Visit of the UN Working Group on Disappearances by Thavam Ratna

UN tells families of missing to stay silent on meeting

By admin--November 10, 2015

The United Nations (UN)  has told the families of those missing in Sri Lanka not to speak to the media regarding their meetings with the visiting United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances held today.

When journalists asked Sandhya Eknaligoda, the wife of missing journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda regarding a meeting she had late this evening with the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances at the UN office in Colombo, Eknaligoda said that she could not comment.

She said that the the UN told her not to speak to the media and that the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances would brief the media next week.

“I told them about by concerns. The meeting went well. They will announce their response next week,” she said.

When asked by journalists who took part in the meeting, Eknaligoda refused to comment nor did she wish to state who in the UN told her not to speak to the media.

“They have come here to carry out a duty and that will be done at the highest levels so we need to listen to what they say,” she said.

The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances began meetings in Colombo this week as part of its official visit to Sri Lanka which will conclude on 18 November.

During its mission, the UN experts will study the measures adopted by the State to prevent and eradicate enforced disappearances, including issues related to truth, justice and reparation for the victims of enforced disappearances.

They will also gather information on cases of enforced disappearances, including those pending before the Working Group.

The Working Group will travel to Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Batticaloa, Matale, Trincomalee, Ampara and Galle.

They will meet government officials from the Ministry of Law and Order, the Attorney General Department , Ministry of Justice, Defence , Resettlement, Health including Judicial medical officers and they will also meet the Commanders of the Sri Lanka Army and Navy and IGP and  the Police officers .  They will also meet with members of Parliament and local authorities, the Governors of the Northern, Eastern and Southern Provinces as well as the Chief Ministers of the Northern and Eastern Provinces. (Colombo Gazette)