Amnesty International has written to the Commonwealth heads of state, drawing attention to the human rights violations in Sri Lanka and urging them to raise their concerns about these with their Sri Lankan counterparts.
The letter also encourages them to support the calls for “greater accountability for abuses of human rights”.
The letter was written as the heads of commonwealth countries gathered at the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting at the Port of Spain in Trinidad & Tobago.
“In particular, we wish to alert you to continuing serious problems affecting the safety and dignity of Sri Lankans displaced by armed conflict,” the letter said.
It goes on to describe the situation in Sri Lanka, since the end of the war and describes the various violations of the liberty of the Tamil civilians that have allegedly been carried out by the Sri Lankan Government.
“...six months after the end of the war, Sri Lanka continues to confine people who fled fighting in closed displacement camps in uncomfortable and sometimes hazardous conditions,” the letter says.
“Camp shelters have deteriorated as Sri Lanka has entered the rainy season, and the UN reports that funds for shelter repair are running out,” the letter notes.
The London-based NGO also describes its own “Unlock the Camps” global campaign, which aims to end the arbitrary detention of the Tamil people.
The letter sets out the conditions of restricted movement for the people remaining in the camps.
“The camps remain military in nature. The military controls all decision-making related to management of the camps and the fate of displaced people in those camps; the military severely restricts the residents from leaving the premises even to seek medical care, and denies the displaced population basic legal safeguards,” the letter said.
Citing the widespread government reports that people have been released from the camps, Amnesty International raises its concerns.
“Amnesty International has received reports that displaced people have been subjected to rescreening by local authorities to determine whether they had links to the Liberation Tigers,” the letter said.
“There are also reports that some people who have been released, have been denied necessary documents to ensure that they are safe from re-arrest,” Amnesty noted.
“The Sri Lankan government has prevented humanitarian organizations from talking to displaced persons, and obstructed their ability to conduct crucial human rights protections activities, such as providing legal aid or assisting with family reunification,” the letter notes.
The letters also raises concerns about the screening process set up to identify Tiger cadres from among the detainees.
“Amnesty International has received repeated, credible reports from humanitarian workers about the lack of transparency and accountability in the screening process, which is conducted outside of any legal framework and the increased dangers to detainees when they are held incommunicado,” said the letter.
The letter raises the need for investigations into war crimes committed by both sides during the conflict. It also raises concerns about the Sri Lankan government’s attacks on critics and the continuing reliance on special security legislation.
“Special security legislation ... remains in place and grants extraordinary powers to the authorities to arbitrarily arrest and detain individuals almost indefinitely,” the letter notes.
It points to the “chilling” effect on freedom of expression the targeting of journalists, lawyers, witnesses and human rights defenders.
Amnesty International ended the letter by arguing that the Heads of Government should use this meeting as an opportunity to discuss this situation with their Sri Lankan counterparts and convince them to address the “urgent concerns” brought up.
Saying that the “time to act” is now, the letter concludes by calling on the CHOGM representatives to act on these concerns and encourage Sri Lanka to restore liberty, allow access and end arbitrary detention. It also calls for their support in ensuring accountability and accomplishing the needed reforms, including bringing about an international mandate for investigations and prosecution.
