ICG CHIEF CALLS FOR DIALOGUE ON LANKAN ISSUE
The upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) should – at the minimum – have a for mal dialogue to discuss both the LLRC and UN reports, to ensure that the full range of credible allegations of war crimes and the deficiencies in domestic accountability processes are addressed openly and in detail, according to Louise Arbour, President and CEO of the Inter national Crisis Group (ICG).
In an opinion piece published in the Canadian Ms. Arbour notes that the 19th UNHRC session to be held in Geneva from February 27 to March 23 will be “an opportunity to address Sri Lanka’s entrenched culture of denial and impunity – including for crimes against women”.the former UN High Commissioner for Human
opportunity to address Sri Lanka’s entrenched culture of denial and impunity – including for crimes against women
LOUISE ARBOUR
Rights and former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada has urged Canada to “take a firm stand at the HRC and work closely with the United States, Britain, other members of the European Union and, critically, African and Asian states – especially India – to make sure this marks the beginning and not the end of a real accountability process.”
She also calls on Canada and other HRC members to be prepared to endorse an inter national inquiry at this June’s session.
“As the international community seeks, laudably, to recommit itself to the protection of civilians in armed conflict, it needs to reflect seriously on what happened in Sri Lanka: arguably one of its greatest single failures to provide even a modicum of safety to hundreds of thousands innocent victims of war.
If the opportunity is again missed to provide some form of accounting, the sustainable peace that all Sri Lankans deserve after so many decades of civil war and political violence will be only further out of reach,” she adds.
She said that “It is essential that the council remain seized of this matter and mandate a high office – such as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – to monitor and assess the Sri Lankan government’s implementation of the LLRC’S recommendations and any further accountability efforts.”