CHRI and SLC say impeachment
of chief justice must force Commonwealth
action
Responding to the impeachment of
Sri Lanka's Chief Justice [1], the latest development in Sri Lanka's ongoing
constitutional crisis, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and the Sri
Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice have demanded that the Commonwealth take
action. The impeachment comes in direct contravention of a Constitutional determination by the
Sri Lankan Supreme Court.
Events such as these are a clear
violation of the the Commonwealth (Latimer
House) Principles on the Three Branches of Government. As such they should
lead the Commonwealth Ministerial Action
Group to pursue a process which leads, if there is not improvement, to Sri
Lanka's suspension from the Commonwealth.
Relations between Sri Lanka's Government and its
judiciary have been appalling for some time, yet the Commonwealth, in particular
the Secretary General, have been muted in their criticism. The CHRI and SLC
charge that this has been a contributing factor in the Sri Lankan Government's
increasingly brazen disregard for judicial independence.
Quotes from the statement:
"It has for some time been very
clear that the conduct of the government of Sri Lanka has not been in keeping
with the fundamental values of the Commonwealth.
"Serious and persistent
violations of Commonwealth values by the government have been repeatedly brought
to the attention of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG),
Commonwealth Governments, and the Commonwealth Secretary-General, by concerned
governments and Commonwealth civil society.
"The Sri Lankan actions - coming
as they do in defiance of the Commonwealth’s official caution
– are clear evidence of its brazen determination to continue on a course
inimical to the fundamental values of the association."
