Sri Lanka loses at UNHRC due to
perpetration of human rights violations

By Wilson Gnanadass
Sri Lanka’s failure to secure a slot in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) last week is now no secret.
The result of the election that took place last Wednesday in New York was also not something unexpected, given the deteriorating human rights record in Sri Lanka.
Cheers went up amongst human rights defenders and especially the victims of human rights violations in Sri Lanka after Sri Lanka was defeated.

While the government chose to pretend as if this election was not the end of the world, human rights activists commended the outcome and said the UNHRC must stand with the victims and not become an abusers’ club.
As most of the Sri Lankans who have already expressed aversion to the continuing human rights violations thought this was a good lesson for Sri Lanka, some also viewed that this was a slap in the face of the Lankan diplomats abroad and of course the foreign minister.

It was just recently that Pakistan lost its slot in the Commonwealth after Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama voted against Pakistan, citing human rights record. But today, Pakistan has secured a better place in the UNHRC while Sri Lanka is spurned.
To face the challenge
While the majority of Sri Lankans believe that the human rights record needs to be straightened, government ministers took this issue with a pinch of salt.

Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe and Constitutional Affairs Minister D. E. W. Gunesekera strongly believed that Sri Lanka lost her place due to strong campaigns from the West. They conceded that this is not the end of the road.
Opinion emanating from many Lankans is that Sri Lanka should not lose courage but instead, shred international criticism, put the records straight and march ahead with the same pride - a simple formula, but difficult to follow.
Barely 24 hours after Sri Lanka was voted out of the UNHRC, senior journalist and Associate Editor of The Nation newspaper was abducted and beaten mercilessly.

As Transparency International Chief J. C. Weliamuna correctly put it, it would not be too easy for Sri Lanka to clear her name immediately. He feels it will take some time for Sri Lanka to regain her lost prestige.

Course of action
Minister Samarasinghe who is a victim himself, as it is during his time that this defeat has taken place, however, looks at it differently.
The fact that Sri Lanka has still not lost her chance to participate in the UNHRC meetings is viewed by the Minister as a ray of hope. He says though Sri Lanka has only lost her right to vote, it does not in any event prevent Sri Lanka from participating in the UNHRC meetings and being party to major decisions.

Of course, powerful campaigns originating from internationally renowned characters like Jimmy Carter and Bishop Desmond Tutu did play a role in the defeat Sri Lanka faced last week.

But, if the government had taken serious note of the ongoing violations, especially the day light abductions, in the recent few months, Sri Lanka would have definitely secured a slot, despite heavy campaigning against it.
A pragmatic Minister Samarasinghe even goes to the extent of accepting the fact that Sri Lanka should, by all means, improve her human rights record.

He said culprits must be brought to book and necessary action taken against them. He added that the law and order of the country should be streamlined in order to bring an end to the continuing human rights violations.
Not running away from the shame of losing the chance to be elected to the UNHRC, the Minister further said; “To improve the situation means to send a message that we are committed to showing results over the investigation into abductions and extra judicial killings.

“We hope to show good results. We have to stop this immediately whether it is done by LTTE or the Para military group. It is not the policy of the government to protect culprits. But at the same time, this is not the end for Sri Lanka,” he said.

Lesson to learn
The Minister’s feelings towards the end results of the election that were held in New York and the actual ground situation in the country have been well justified.
Unlike others, the Minister who speaks on behalf of the government, admits Sri Lanka needs to work hard to restore her human rights status and at the same time he also puts to rest fears that Sri Lanka will never be re-elected.

Colombo district parliamentarian and convener, Civil Monitoring Mission (CMM) Mano Ganesan also believes this is only a signal from the International Community (IC) to Sri Lanka to take stock of her human rights record and be prepared to be elected to the UNHRC next time.

Making a pertinent point Ganesan said government cannot accuse the IC of favouring the LTTE or the NGOs.
“The IC did not give this signal to the government without any consideration for LTTE atrocities. The fact remains that the IC has long before taken all the actions against the LTTE. It is a banned organisation in the US, EU, Australia and in India. The rebel fund raising and arms purchasing are monitored and crippled.

“When the IC took action against the LTTE, the government welcomed it. And now the IC is pointing its fingers at the government. There is a code of conduct for governance. This government has failed to behave itself as a legitimately elected government.

“It has failed to understand that it represents the Sri Lankan state in the world community of nations. It has failed to adhere to the international conventions. This is not a conspiracy but a signal. It is for the government to listen or leave it,” he said.

Blame on diplomacy
For Transparency International (TI) Chief J. C. Weliamuna, those who were entrusted with the task of carrying out campaigns at a foreign level have failed.
Distinguishing between propaganda and diplomacy, Weliamuna said in the international scene, 20 % was international law and the balance 80 % was diplomacy.

“So our people have failed. As a result we have been pushed to this place to be on par with Somalia and Sudan. We need diplomats and not diplomutts. Political leaders must listen to advisors and not try to do things the way they want.
“During President Premadasa’s time, the Amnesty International (AI) brought similar attacks on him against human rights violations.

“But the former President immediately decided to correct himself. He said in public that by fighting the international community we cannot win anything.
“Those who advised Premadasa said that he has to listen to the international community. At that time, his advisors had a progressive dialogue with the international actors which led to changing of so many regulations and that really saved the country. It helped us to get a better quota for the garment industry,” he said.

Better late than never
UNP stalwart Lakshman Kiriella says Lord Buddha has already taught how to deal with human beings more than the UN conventions.

“So why can’t we simply follow the true paths of Buddha and be acceptable in the world,” he asked.
He said the government’s claim that the cause for losing a slot in the UNHRC was due to intense campaign by the opposition and the NGOs was only an imagination of the state.

“If that is the case, it goes further to prove that the state diplomacy is so weak. In that situation, I don’t think the UPFA could run a government,” he pointed out.

However, he said Sri Lanka still had many more chances to return to the UNHRC provided serious and genuine steps were taken to straighten the crooked human rights record.
Nothing is too late for Sri Lanka to restore what she has lost. It is essential for a developing nation to gain international recognition. And the only way the world recognition could be gained is by adhering to a set of conventions and laws.

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