HRCSL vets troops for South Sudan, rejects President's charge
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) is now vetting a group of military personnel nominated for UN peacekeeping in South Sudan, its chairperson Deepika Udagama said, days after writing to President Maithripala Sirisena rejecting claims that the commission was responsible for the recent deaths of two soldiers in Mali.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, President Sirisena claimed that the HRCSL was delaying Sri Lanka’s police and armed forces from taking part in UN peacekeeping missions. He blamed the commission for the death of two army personnel in Mali, saying they were due to return to the country six months ago.
“The Human Rights Commission will not allow us to change the groups by finding background details of the servicemen,” he said. “The HRCSL objects to sending our servicemen based on its investigation's results. If the HRCSL did not bother us and allowed to proceed with the exchange, we could have easily avoided the death of the Major and the Private.”
The HRCSL has repeatedly rebuffed accusations that any delay in the vetting process is its fault. Dr Udagama, once again, in a letter sent to President Sirisena this week, said, “We strongly disagree that the vetting process suffered setbacks due to any delays or carelessness on the part of the Commission”.
The vetting process was suspended in June last year until standard operating procedures (SOPs) were drafted. This was unanimously decided upon by all stakeholders--the military, the police, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, the HRCSL and the United Nations-- to “solve a multitude of issues during the initial stages of the vetting process”.
The SOPs were agreed upon by all parties over a period of weeks. The UN Department of Peace Operations then notified the Commission that vetting could resume from December 20 last year.
An “urgent list” identified by the UN is being tackled first, Dr Udagama told the Sunday Times. There is a dedicated group at the Commission. Their sole task is to carry out vetting under the supervision of the Chairperson and Commissioners. The teams currently being vetted will go to South Sudan.
During Thursday’s press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric confirmed that the SOPs were agreed to only in December. “Since then, it is not the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission alone, but the UN together with the Human Rights Commision, that have been jointly screening the personnel nominated by the Government of Sri Lanka,” he said. “The aim is to ensure rapid deployment of Sri Lankan peacekeepers to the field.”
“It is the policy of the UN that individuals and units deployed to UN peacekeeping by any member States, including Sri Lanka, are screened through a thorough and credible process in order to safeguard the integrity of our peacekeeping missions,” Ms. Dujarric said.
Controversy broke out last year when the Sri Lanka Army sent 49 soldiers to UN Interim Force in Lebanon ( UNIFIL) without vetting by the Commission. Dr Udagama said any replacements for this group--they will return at the end of their assignment--would be reviewed as new applications.
Before the SOPs were drafted, the HRCSL faced considerable difficulty receiving applications on time and in completed form. Sometimes, the deployment date was also not specified. The military is required to give advance notice of six to seven months to ensure there is sufficient time.
"Because of the suspension of vetting, a large number of applications have flown into the Commission at once. They will be reviewed in batches. There is a contingent earmarked to replace the Sri Lankan peacekeepers in Mali but the UN has requested the South Sudan and UNIFIL applications to be processed first," Dr Udagama said.
All UN member states that nominate or provide personnel to serve with the UN must screen and certify that such personnel have not committed, or are alleged to have committed, criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. Those who seek to serve with the UN must attest the same and, where necessary, provide relevant information. The processes by which this can be done are outlined in Decision 2012/18 of the UN SecretaryGeneral’s Policy Committee.
According to the UN, Sri Lanka is the first nation to be granted the opportunity to vet military personnel for peacekeeping operations by a national Human Rights Commission.