The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has slammed Sri Lanka’s newly established commission to investigated human rights violations, describing it as a “travesty of justice”.
The three-member commission which was appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 21 January comes in advance of the UN Human Rights Council’s 46th session and has been described the ICJ as an attempt to “deflect robust action”
Human rights campaigners alongside Tamil political leaders and victim communities are urging the international community for a tough resolution which goes beyond a consensual agreement.
A toothless inquiry
ICJ’s Legal and Policy Director, Ian Seiderman, has slammed the domestic inquiry maintain that these toothless mechanisms are often put into place just before sessions at the UN Human Rights Council “to deflect robust action”. He further points to Sri Lanka’s “appalling track record on accountability” with relation to these commissions and notes that they have largely been partisan mechanisms used to punish and target political opponents.
The ICJ is urging the UN High Commissioner to call out the Sri Lankan government’s “categorical inability and unwillingness” to ensure accountability and search for international alternatives at obtaining justice for victims of Sri Lanka’s gross human rights violations.
