Appeal for a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council on the Human Rights Situation in Sri Lanka

Your Excellency,

The undersigned 90 non-governmental organizations across the globe call upon the UN Human Rights Council to hold a Special Session on the current human rights catastrophe in Sri Lanka, as a matter of urgent concern. We have observed the lack of an adequate response from the Council so far, and herewith repeat our heartfelt appeal to the Council to live up to its own mandate by responding promptly to human rights emergencies.

The human rights and humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka has been repeatedly highlighted by various top UN officials, including the Secretary-General, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), among others, and by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as well as local, regional and international human rights groups. The press statements, reports and news articles which have been produced over the last few months, expressing serious concerns and warnings over the impending tragedy in Sri Lanka are too many to list here.

The UN estimates more than 6,400 people have been killed since the beginning of this year in the fighting between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and many thousands have been severely injured. Staff of the ICRC and international aid agencies, medical personnel and religious workers have been amongst those killed and injured. At the moment, over 50,000 people remain trapped in the tiny area of land controlled by the LTTE, in danger of death and injury from the ongoing fighting and suffering from a desperate shortage of medical supplies, food and water. As the Under-Secretary-General stated in his briefing to the UN Security Council last Thursday, despite the repeated appeals from the UN and from the diplomatic community, the Government of Sri Lanka continues to deny access to the UN humanitarian team into the conflict zone, in order to assess the humanitarian situation and respond to the basic needs of food and medical supplies.

The dire conditions faced by around 170,000 people who fled from LTTE controlled areas to camps operated by the Government are also a matter of grave concern. In particular, restrictions on the freedom of movement of these internally displaced persons (IDPs) and family reunification issues should be addressed by the Government as a matter of priority.

The concerns of the international community regarding the human rights situation is not only limited to the current deterioration which has a specific impact on civilians affected directly by the conflict in northern Sri Lanka. Core problems of discrimination against minorities and impunity for human rights abuses, including by the security forces, have been allowed to go unchecked throughout the country in the past years. As the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances has indicated in its reports, Sri Lanka holds the largest number of cases of disappearances in the last two years; the majority of the victims were from the Tamil minority. Furthermore, since 2006, 18 journalists and media workers have been killed, and more than 70 aid workers including religious leaders working on human rights and humanitarian cause have been killed or disappeared. A series of threats and attacks have been made against human rights defenders, including lawyers and media persons who continue to be arrested and detained without charges. Thousands of Tamil civilians also remain detained without charges.

There is no doubt that the LTTE has also committed heinous crimes against the civilian population in breach of international humanitarian law, and this fact should continue to be condemned and responded to with appropriate action by the international community. However, the primary responsibility for protecting human rights at all times lies with the Government of Sri Lanka, and its military gains against the LTTE do not legitimize the great cost of civilian lives, harassment of the Tamil community, repression of democratic dissent, and the collapse of rule of law in the country.

Lastly, we would like to call for the attention of the Human Rights Council to its own resolution A/HRC/RES/9/9 entitled “Protection of the human rights of civilians in armed conflict”, which was adopted by consensus on 21 September 2008. In the resolution, the Human Rights Council stressed its role and responsibility, pursuant to its mandate, to monitor the implementation of human rights in situations of armed conflict. On this front, we strongly urge the Human Rights Council to uphold its mandate with urgent and concrete actions, that is, to hold a special session on Sri Lanka, include the human rights situation of Sri Lanka into its agenda on a regular basis and immediately send an international mission to assess the needs of those civilians in the conflict affected areas with any unhindered access.

Thank you very much for your attention to this appeal.

Yours sincerely,

On behalf of co-signatories:
Yap Swee Seng
Executive Director
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)

1. ADER - Association for Regional Economic Development, India

2. African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS)

3. African Democracy Forum (ADF)

4. Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), Bangladesh

5. Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact Foundation (AIPP)

6. Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD)

7. Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI), India

8. Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD)

9. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)

10. Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)

11. Association of Family Members of the Disappeared (AFMD), Sri Lanka

12. Bagaicha - Center for Study and Action, India

13. Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), Bahrain

14. Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), India

15. BRAC, Bangladesh

16. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), Egypt

17. Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), Cambodia

18. Cardijn Community International (CCI)

19. Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), Argentina

20. Centre for Human Rights and Development (CHRD), Mongolia

21. Centre for Social Research (CSR), India

22. Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)

23. Conectas Human Rights, Brazil

24. Dalit Association for Social and Human Rights Awareness (DASHRA), India

25. Dalit Solidarity Network - Sweden, Sweden

26. DARSHAN, India

27. De La Salle Brothers, India

28. Democracy Coalition Project (DCP), United States

29. East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP)

30. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), Egypt

31. EVIDENCE, India

32. Fondation Humanus, Cameroon

33. Franciscans International (FI)

34. Friends’Association for Rural Reconstruction (FARR), India

35. Gandhian Unit for Integrated Development Education (GUIDE), India

36. Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW)

37. Holistic Approach for People’s Empowerment (HOPE), India

38. Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Coordination Committee (HRTMCC), Nepal

39. Human Rights Watch (HRW)

40. Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), Indonesia

41. India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN), Netherlands

42. Indian Social Institute (ISI), India

43. Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC), Nepal

44. Information Monitor (INFORM), Sri Lanka

45. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

46. International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR)

47. International Movement of Catholic Students Asia Pacific (IMCS-AP)

48. International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW-AP)

49. Jananeethi and Jananeethi Institute, India

50. Justice and Peace Netherlands, Netherlands

51. Korea Alliance of Progressive Movements (KAPM), Republic of Korea

52. Korean House for International Solidarity (KHIS), Republic of Korea

53. Korean Public Interest Lawyers Group - GONGGAM, Republic of Korea

54. Madurai Multipurpose Social Service Society (MMSSS), India

55. Managing Trustee, Littles - A Centre for Children, India

56. Mexican Commission for the Defence and Promotion of Human Rights (CMDPDH)

57. Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA)

58. MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society, Republic of Korea

59. National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), India

60. National Coalition for the International Criminal Court (NCICC), Nepal

61. National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), Pakistan

62. National Dalit Forum (NDF), India

63. National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO), Sri Lanka

64. National Network of Mongolian Women’s NGOs (MONFEMNET), Mongolia

65. Nonviolence International (NI)

66. North East Network (NEN), India

67. Pasumai Thaayagam Foundation (Green Motherland), India

68. Pax Romana ICMICA/MIIC

69. People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), India

70. People’s Watch (PW), India

71. Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), Philippines

72. PRAHAR, India

73. Praxis - Institute for Participatory Practices, India

74. PSPD - People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, Republic of Korea

75. Pusat Komas, Malaysia

76. Quê Me: Action for Democracy in Vietnam, France

77. REAL, India

78. Rights Education and Development Centre (READ), India

79. RIGHTS, India

80. Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN), Nepal

81. Samvedan Cultural Programme (SCP), India

82. Society for Women’s Action and Training Initiatives (SWATI), India

83. Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), Malaysia

84. Tamils of Northern California (TNC), United States

85. The Other Media, India

86. Tibetan UN Advocacy (TUNA), Switzerland

87. Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR)

88. Village Reconstruction and Development Project (VRDP), India

89. West African Human Rights Defenders Network (WAHRDN)

90. World Organization against Torture (OMCT)

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For further information, please contact:

• Ms. Giyoun Kim, UN Advocacy Programme Manager, FORUM-ASIA

Email: una@forum-asia.org / Mobile +41-(0)79-595-7931