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Ambika labels govemt,t response ‘disappointing, disturbing, dangerous’

08 Feb 2022

  •  Fires back at Foreign Ministry’s statement
  • Claims that Govt. is responsible for any adverse GSP+ outcomes  
In a statement issued yesterday (7), human rights activist Ambika Satkunanathan claimed that the Foreign Ministry’s response to her statement at the European Parliament’s Sub-Committee on Human Rights is “disappointing, disturbing, and dangerous”, adding that it “appears to be aimed at silencing the critique of government policies and actions”. “It is disturbing  that the Government has taken umbrage at my appeal to the European Union (EU) to advocate with the Government to fulfil its international human rights obligations using the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) trade privileges as a conduit. The GSP+ privileges are dependent on the recipient fulfilling human rights obligations. It is regrettable that the Government refuses to acknowledge that any adverse outcome of the GSP+ review process would only be due to its failure to fulfil the GSP+ trade concessions’ requirements. Hence, it is the Government that has to take responsibility for any adverse outcomes,” said Satkunanathan. In a press release issued on 4 February, the Foreign Ministry said that Satkunanathan’s “testimony is reminiscent of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) propaganda that once stoked hatred among the communities”. Furthermore, the Foreign Ministry said that it is “disappointed” that Satkunanathan has recommended that “the EU uses its leverage on the GSP+ facility to exert pressure on the Government on human rights”.  Responding to these accusations, Satkunanathan said that she was “deeply disappointed” by the statement, and claimed that efforts to bring lasting peace to Sri Lanka are undermined by denials of the root cause of the armed conflict, which was discrimination. “Instead, the Foreign Ministry statement labels the discussion of the root causes as LTTE propaganda. This is ominous given the decades-long strategy of weaponising the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act (PTA) against Tamils. Implying that such discussion is a danger to communal harmony can be used to weaponise the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act to stifle dissent. In this regard, the insinuations made by the Ministry are dangerous.” Furthermore, she noted with concern articles spreading false information about her supposed ties to the LTTE. “Despite the Ministry’s claim that the Government views the civil society as partners and not adversaries, regrettably, its statement singling out my statement to the EU, is the perfect example of the Government’s intolerance of dissent. Furthermore, several civil society organisations and activists, particularly from the North and East, have been questioned by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) during the past year. That they are being subjected to these ‘routine security checks’ when there is no prima facie evidence of wrongdoing, casts doubt on the Government’s assertion of partnership with the civil society. “As a Sri Lankan citizen, it is my right and civic duty to question the actions of elected representatives when such actions lead to the suffering and marginalisation of vulnerable communities, and demand accountability. Only a country that respects this right can be considered truly independent and democratic,” she said.  In her statement on 27 January, Satkunanathan said: “Sinhala Buddhist nationalism and militarisation are the two pillars of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ideology that drive his decision making and actions.” Whilst raising concerns about a number of issues, including the Presidential Task Force for archaeological heritage management in the Eastern Province, and the “One Country, One Law” Presidential Task Force, Satkunanathan stressed that successive Sri Lankan Governments, including the one elected in 2015, failed to deal with accountability for human rights violations, especially war-related ones, and thereby entrenched impunity. “For instance, police brutality and torture are systematic. Sri Lanka’s deep-seated accountability problem is demonstrated by the normalisation of elected and appointed public officials breaking and abusing the law with impunity. The Government’s promises to advance accountability appear disingenuous in light of their actions. Impunity has become the permanent norm in Sri Lanka. Successive Governments have also failed to address the majoritarian nature of the State, which is driven by Sinhala Buddhist nationalism and normalises the discrimination of other ethno-religious communities.  “The current Government has authoritarian tendencies and has consistently shown contempt to the rule of law. It makes no attempt to even pretend to make a transparent approach to public policy making and governance. Instead it reaffirms the majoritarian nature of the State at the macro and micro levels at every opportunity,” she claimed. Satkunanathan made three key recommendations in her testimony – that the leverage of the GSP+ trade sanctions be used to strongly advocate for the Government’s adherence to its human rights obligations, particularly with regard to the PTA, support the evidence-gathering mechanism established by the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC), and support efforts to use universal jurisdiction to hold those accountable of human rights violations. A total of 161 individuals and 47 organisations issued a joint statement over the weekend condemning the Foreign Ministry’s response.  


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