International human rights groups are urging the United Nations Human Rights Council to order a probe into alleged abuses committed during Sri Lanka’s civil war. Both London-based Amnesty International and New York-based Human Rights Watch on Tuesday called on the council to act on the recommendations of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The U.N. chief has […]
Rights Groups Urge UN Council to Probe Sri Lanka
Posted September 13th, 2011 at 12:32 pm (UTC-5)
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Sri Lanka Civil War Report Heads to UN Rights Council
Posted September 12th, 2011 at 9:40 pm (UTC-5)
The U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent a report about alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka’s recent civil war to the president of the Geneva-based Human Rights Council and the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The report, published in April by a panel of U.N.-appointed experts, cites “credible” evidence of Sri Lankan troops and Tamil […]
Sri Lanka Civil War Report to go to UN Rights Council
Posted September 12th, 2011 at 5:15 pm (UTC-5)
U.N. officials say the Secretary-General will soon refer a report about alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka’s recent civil war to the global body’s Human Rights Council, a move that could lead to an international investigation of the conflict. The officials said Monday Ban Ki-moon is likely to send the report – published in April […]
US Envoy in Sri Lanka Ahead of UN Rights Meeting
Posted September 12th, 2011 at 11:51 am (UTC-5)
A top U.S. envoy is in Sri Lanka for talks ahead of a United Nations Human Rights Council meeting on human rights abuses committed during the country’s civil war. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake arrived Monday in the capital, Colombo, for talks with government officials, politicians, Tamil leaders and university students. During the […]
Rights Group Urges Sri Lanka to End Detention Laws
Posted September 8th, 2011 at 11:11 am (UTC-5)
An international human rights group says the Sri Lankan government continues to use abusive regulations to detain people without charge, despite its recent decision to scrap long-time emergency laws. New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Sri Lanka to repeal its detention laws and release thousands of people held under the legislation. HRW’s Asia Director […]
Amnesty: UN Should Investigate Sri Lankan War Crimes
Posted September 7th, 2011 at 5:40 am (UTC-5)
Amnesty International is urging the United Nations to establish a credible investigation into war crimes allegedly committed in Sri Lanka during the final phases of the country’s civil war in 2009. The London-based watchdog said Wednesday that Sri Lanka’s official inquiry into the matter is “seriously flawed” and “falls short of international standards.” The country’s […]
Sri Lanka Survey Finds More Elephants Than Expected
Posted September 2nd, 2011 at 8:10 am (UTC-5)
A new survey finds that Sri Lanka’s elephant population remains healthy, despite decades of fighting during the island nation’s civil war. Wildlife Conservation Department Director H.D. Ratnayake said Friday that Sri Lanka has some 5,879 wild elephants. The previous population estimate was 5,350 elephants. Ratnayake told reporters the new figure shows that the country’s elephants […]
Sri Lanka Ends State of Emergency, Introduces New ‘Anti-Terror’ Law
Posted August 31st, 2011 at 5:25 pm (UTC-5)
The Sri Lankan government lifted strict wartime emergency laws Tuesday night, but introduced new regulations under the Prevention of Terrorism Act allowing it to continue holding suspects detained during the state of emergency. Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem said Wednesday that about 1,200 people detained under the emergency laws will likely be freed soon. But hours […]
Sri Lanka Set to Lift Emergency Laws
Posted August 30th, 2011 at 6:35 pm (UTC-5)
Sri Lankan is set to lift the country’s strict wartime emergency laws, which have been in place for 28 years. President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced the move in a speech to Parliament last week. He said he made the decision not to renew a state of emergency at the end of August because there was no […]
US Envoy to Visit Sri Lanka
Posted August 26th, 2011 at 12:35 pm (UTC-5)
The United States says it is sending a top envoy for talks next week in Sri Lanka, which faces allegations of human rights violations in its civil war that ended two years ago. A U.S. statement says Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake will meet in Sri Lanka with government and non-governmental officials, university students […]
