China defends Sri Lanka’s human rights record
China on Friday expressed support to Sri Lanka at the UNHRC as it faced a resolution expressing serious concern over the rights situation in the island nation, saying Beijing was opposed to the use of human rights issues to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
China’s support came three days after Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena on February 24 made a fervent appeal to the member states of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to reject resolution on the island nation’s human rights accountability and reconciliation, terming it a “pure political move” against the country.
Addressing a UNHRC session virtually on Tuesday, Gunawardena urged that the resolution be rejected by the Council and brought to a closure.
Gunawardena’s remarks followed the country’s rejection of the UN rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s report which had called for drastic measures such as targeted sanctions and international criminal court procedure against those allegedly responsible for rights violations during the last phase of the armed conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.
Bachelet said the report indicated that nearly 12 years after the end of the armed conflict, domestic initiatives had repeatedly failed to ensure justice for victims and promote reconciliation.
Despite commitments made in 2015, the current
Government, like its predecessor, had failed to pursue genuine accountability processes, she said.
The previous Sri Lankan government, headed by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, had co-sponsored the resolution in 2013, calling for accountability in alleged war crimes committed by the government forces and the LTTE during the final phase of the near-three-decadelong civil war in May 2009.
The current government, led by Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party, has officially withdrawn from the resolution.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said: “We appreciate the (Sri Lankan) government’s efforts to promote human rights and economic and social development, to protect vulnerable groups.”