CHOGM in Sri Lanka: Do you approve of this?

Civilians who had been trapped in Sri Lanka’s north, during the last month of the war. May 2009. © Private

This image was taken in the last month of Sri Lanka’s bloody armed conflict. These people were among the tens of thousands of civilians who were killed and wounded at that time.

Sri Lanka: Commonwealth must honour its own commitments

CHOGM: Amnesty Youth (London) getting ready  to remind their  PM and FM of HR violations in Sri Lanka (02.11.2013)

Vidya Venkat
he choice of Sri Lanka as a venue for CHOGM 2013 has always remained controversial. But now that most member countries have agreed to go ahead and participate in the high-profile summit happening in Colombo, the moment has arrived for the Commonwealth to reassess its commitment towards its own values.

Commonwealth must stop Sri Lanka stifling human rights efforts - AI

Diplomats from Commonwealth countries meeting in London today must push Sri Lanka to end its continuing crackdown on human rights defenders, Amnesty International said.

The Commonwealth Committee of the Whole is meeting 17-18 October to prepare for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo in November.

Commonwealth giving Sri Lanka carte blanche for human rights abuses - AI

Sri Lanka’s disturbing human rights record means it should be barred from hosting a key Commonwealth summit in November or chairing the organization, Amnesty International said ahead of a key meeting of Commonwealth foreign ministers today.

Sri Lanka: UN visit underscores disturbing human rights reality - AI

Sri Lankan leaders must address the persistent climate of fear in the country, Amnesty International said as the UN human rights chief Navi Pillay concluded her visit to the island.

Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, made her first official visit to Sri Lanka from 25-31 August. It comes just before the UN and Commonwealth review the country’s human rights situation in September.

Sri Lanka: UN visit underscores disturbing human rights reality

Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has just concluded a weeklong visit to Sri Lanka.

© LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images

The Sri Lankan conflict may have ended in 2009, but the level of human rights violations in the country remains critically high, with persistent government attacks on dissenting voices throughout Sri Lankan society

Source: Polly Truscott, Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia Pacific DirectorDate: Sat, 31/08/2013

Assault on dissent thrives in Sri Lanka’s climate of impunity: Amnesty International

Four years have passed since the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan authorities continue to deny mounting evidence of crimes under international law committed by its forces during Sri Lanka’s protracted armed conflict. They also attempt to stop their own citizens from communicating with the UN and other international bodies about serious violations they have witnessed.

Sri Lanka 'criminalising dissent', says Amnesty

Sri Lanka: Activists  campaign for the release of two disappeared colleagues ( C 4 Photo)

Jonathan Miller Foreign Affairs Correspondent   
Amnesty International says Sri Lanka should not host November's Commonwealth heads of government meeting unless it stops "systematic violation of human rights".

Sri Lanka: Report exposes the government’s violent repression of dissent

The Sri Lankan government is intensifying its crackdown on critics.

© AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena

The Sri Lankan government is intensifying its crackdown on critics through threats, harassment, imprisonment and violent attacks, Amnesty International said in a report released today.
The document, Assault on Dissent reveals how the government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa is promoting an official attitude that equates criticism with “treason” in a bid to tighten its grip on power.

Today, 7 long years have passed since my son’s murder, without any justice or decision from the Sri Lankan courts! - Dr. Manoharan @UNHRC

Dr. Manoharan at UNHRC; Where is justice for my son

Mr President
My name is Dr. Kasippillai Manoharan. On 2 January 2006, Sri Lankan soldiers brutally murdered my beloved son Ragihar on a beach in Trincomalee. My family and I were forced to flee Sri Lanka because we sought justice for his killing.

Sri Lanka: How UN failed during Sri Lanka’s armed conflict

The UN failed to protect civilians during Sri Lanka’s armed conflict according its own report, released today, prompting Amnesty International to renew its call for an independent investigation into alleged war crimes by the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE).
The Report of the UN Secretary-General’s Internal Review Panel on United Nations Action in Sri Lanka, submitted to Ban Ki-moon and made public today, offers a strong indictment of the UN’s response to Sri Lanka’s armed conflict.