Writing to British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, leader of the UK Liberal Democratic party, Ed Davey, slammed the proposed resolution on Sri Lanka stating it “completely fails to rise to the challenge” and called for Sri Lanka to be referred to the International Criminal Court.
In his statement, he highlights that the resolution is “too vague and lacks robust commitment to international accountability mechanisms”. Davey proposes that resolution is immediately rewritten to include the following recommendations:
- Recommend “the Sri Lankan situation to the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute serious international crimes committed in Sri Lanka against the Tamils;
- “Establish a proper International Independent Investigative Mechanism relating to Sri Lanka to collect evidence and prepare files for prosecution”.
- “Incorporate the High Commissioner’s recommendations from her January 2021 report, particularly her view that the principles of universal and extraterritorial jurisdiction must apply to the actions of the Sri Lankan government and military”: and
- “Take a strong stance on prevention, including tangible measures to support and protect civil society groups and human rights defenders who are working on the ground in Sri Lanka”.
His criticism of the current is also shared by the Shadow Minister for Asia and the Pacific, Stephen Kinnock, who has called on the government to completely rewrite the resolution and questioned why the government’s review of its Global Human Rights sanctions regime does not include “a single senior Sri Lankan government minister, official or military officer”.
Read more here: ‘This is a test of moral authority’ – UK Shadow Minister calls for a comprehensive rewrite of UN resolution
Davey highlights the need for international action noting that “domestic mechanisms for reconciliation, accountability and human rights have drastically eroded in the past few years”.
“It has never been more important for the UK to lead strong collective action on accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka — and a comprehensive, robust Human Rights Council resolution is an important first step. I implore you to do everything in your power to make this happen” he added.
Read his full statement here.
