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It’s not fair – but life rarely is

22 Feb 2021

Amidst intensifying allegations and tensions, Sri Lanka is all set to attend the 46th Regular Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland, beginning today (22). At this UNHRC session, the Core Group on Sri Lanka, comprising the UK, Canada, Germany, North Macedonia, Malawi, and Montenegro, is scheduled to present a resolution. Sri Lanka has seen the true face of war, over a period of almost three decades, in various forms, and has taken a number of admirable steps, including but not limited to demining, returning military-occupied lands, rehabilitating former LTTE militants, and overall development activities in the North and East, in a bid to rectify some of damage the war caused. It is also true that despite ongoing efforts, Sri Lanka has not been able to fully achieve the intended results, as far as establishing ethnic reconciliation and serving justice to those affected during the war are concerned. However, Sri Lanka is not the only country against which allegations of human rights violations (during a war) have been levelled, and Sri Lanka is not the only country that has engaged in an armed conflict with armed militants. Allegations of grave human rights violations, including genocide, torture, and unauthorised sterilisation, were levelled against China for the way it treated the ethnic Uighur community, while countless war crimes allegations have also been levelled against the US concerning the wars waged in the Middle East. Allegations of rights violations in the Kashmir territory are also great against India. International human rights monitor, the Human Rights Watch (HRW), recently expressed concerns about human rights violations in other countries such as Saudi Arabia, too. One might feel that the international community is not as enthusiastic and interested when it comes to human rights allegations against other countries, especially great powers, which is a notion that is not without merit. Furthermore, it is not just the UNHRC, but a number of other parties including international and local human rights organisations, which are also keen on levelling allegations against Sri Lanka. However, changing the past was never an option, what matters is the future course of action the international community and Sri Lanka are yet to take, either collectively or separately. How many countries will extend their friendly hands to Sri Lanka? That would be a surprise, and Sri Lanka can only hope that it is a pleasant one. As a matter of fact, Sri Lanka is still waiting for affirmative responses from the countries it has sought support from, and Sri Lanka’s traditional ally and neighbor, India, is also yet to respond in this connection. Most importantly, it is in Sri Lanka’s interests to face the UNHRC session with utmost diplomacy, as it has done in the past, due to two simple reasons. Namely, Sri Lanka does not want to jeopardise the success it has achieved through various efforts to remedy ethnic rifts since 2009, and debt-ridden Sri Lanka is in not in a position to deal with sanctions imposed by the international community. The Morning recently reported that the Sri Lankan Government is likely to present its own resolution, instead of co-sponsoring a consensual resolution with the Core Group at the UNHRC session. However, its contents and status quo remains unknown. However, what matters the most – which is also Sri Lankan authorities’ duty – is ensuring that the decisions arrived at during this UNHRC session do not impede the country’s development, and at the same time, strengthen the ongoing reconciliation process. Most importantly, Sri Lankan authorities have a responsibility to see to it that the country’s sovereignty remains unscathed.


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