brand logo

Colombo Archbishop’s welcome about-turn

03 Mar 2022

The ongoing United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session is unlike any other UNHRC session or international human rights-related forum Sri Lanka has attended, and it is likely to be an extremely decisive one for Sri Lanka. In addition to the usual human rights discussion Sri Lanka engages in with the UNHRC, which appears to be worsening gradually owing to Sri Lanka’s lack of action with regard to addressing human rights issues and recent human rights violations, this year, one of the country’s leading religious leaders, i.e. Colombo Archbishop His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, met UN High Commissioner for HR Michelle Bachelet. The main objective of his meeting was discussing the status quo of the investigations into the Easter Sunday terror attacks and bringing justice to the victims of the Easter Sunday bombings. This meeting took place in a context where he had met Pope Francis in the Vatican to discuss the same. The Archbishop’s concern – the pressing need to serve justice to the Easter Sunday attacks victims – is shared by many who seek to protect human rights in the country, and many have appreciated how he has been fighting for justice, especially for the Catholic community, during the past few years. However, although we do not question his intentions regarding getting justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks, his love for human rights is somewhat new. In the 2016-2018 era, the Archbishop had a completely different opinion about human rights, and on several occasions, he expressed questionable statements about human rights. In 2016, he opined that Sri Lanka cannot afford to throw away Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage in the name of Western countries’ concept of human rights and that human rights can never be born without religion. He further stated that following the religion properly means that everyone protects human rights. In addition, he stressed that it is not possible to allow Western countries to feed Sri Lankans human rights the way they want. In 2018, he stated that the concept of human rights was the newest religion of the Western world. Moreover, he went on to claim that those clinging on to human rights are people who do not follow a religion, and publicly made controversial statements such as if religions are followed, there is no need for human rights.  “The concept of human rights is a new discovery, and they, the Western countries, keep telling us about it as if they are a new and marvelous discovery. If we follow religion, we do not even have to talk about human rights, and we can live beyond the limits of human rights,” were the Archbishop’s words. During the past few years, the Archbishop’s stance has changed completely. Ironically, he is now seeking the protection of human rights, which he referred to as a Western concept, from the West-based, Western countries-led human rights organisations. The Archbishop going to great lengths to get justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks deserves appreciation. At the same time, being flexible enough to change his stance about human rights during his quest for justice should be admired. However, it is of great importance that he sticks to his word, and not change his opinion about human rights in the future, especially in the event he actually gets the justice he seeks. Moreover, it is important to note that Sri Lanka is a country that is dealing with a large number of unaddressed past human rights issues as well as continuing human rights issues such as those caused by the infamous Prevention of Terrorism Act. In fact, one truth that came to light in recent years is that human rights violations in Sri Lanka are not limited to minority religious or ethnic communities, and that people of diverse backgrounds are facing such issues. In this context, as a religious leader that has massive support from not only his followers but also from followers of other religions, if he maintains the current stance about human rights, the Archbishop can do much more to improve Sri Lanka’s human rights situation.


More News..