Tamil Makkal Thesai Kootani (TMTK) leader C V Wigneswaran criticised the draft United Nations Human Rights Council resolution by the Core Group on Sri Lanka as "disappointing and insufficent".
“It is both sad and shocking to see the Core-Group on Sri Lanka for UN Human Rights Council have come up with this disappointing draft which protects mass killers, murderers, and rapist,” Wigneswaran reportedly said.
"It is a sad day for all those who care about human rights and basic decency. Leaders of the Core group countries UK, Canada, Germany, Montenegro and North Macedonia should hang their heads in shame. This does not auger well for the future of the UN," he added.
The draft resolution which was made public last week, calls on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) “to consolidate, analyse and preserve” evidence that could be used in future war crimes trials, as it noted the lack of accountability for mass atrocities through domestic mechanisms and called for enhanced “monitoring and reporting on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka."
However, the draft has been criticised for failing to acknowledge the recommendations outlined in the UN High Commissioner's report which called on member states to consider “asset freezes and travel bans” on Sri Lankan officials accused of human rights abuses and consider “steps towards the referral of the situation in Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court."
The recent Pottuvil to Polikandy march and subsequent protests in the diaspora "demonstrate renewed resolve and a growing unity among the Tamil people to agitate for a dignified political solution. To engage the Tamil victim/survivor community, whose interests and safety the resolution is apparently designed to protect, the longstanding demands of that community, must form the basis of any new resolution," Wigneswaran stated.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has already stated that it will reject any resolution that is presented at the 46th UNHRC session which is currently taking place in Geneva.
