UNHRC to be urged to push Sri Lanka to show progress

The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is to be urged to push Sri Lanka to show progress on several key issues.

Amnesty International has submitted a document to the UNHRC ahead of its next session in Geneva in September.

In the document, the UNHRC has been urged to call on the Sri Lankan authorities to ensure they make progress in implementing the commitments reflected in Resolution 30/1, in particular to establish the roadmap recommended by the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms (CTF) for the establishment and efficient functioning of truth, justice, and reparation mechanisms, a national outreach program and a monitoring body.

The UNHRC has also been urged to provide technical assistance and financial support for justice, truth and reparation mechanisms that meet international standards; legal reform and other steps to ensure non-recurrence.

Amnesty International has also called on the UNHRC to assist and support Sri Lanka to develop and implement rigorous human rights vetting of law enforcement agencies and the military, and ensure the equally rigorous vetting of all Sri Lankan personnel provided to UN peacekeeping operations, training or exchange programs.

The UNHRC has also been called on to provide cooperation and mutual legal assistance to support investigations into and prosecutions of crimes under international law or other serious human rights violations, subject to fair trial safeguards and precluding the imposition of the death penalty. (Colombo Gazette)