Action Alert ArchiveUrgent call for Human Rights monitorsMarch 27, 2008 I am writing to bring to your attention the urgent need for international human rights monitors in Sri Lanka. As the climate of war intensifies, civilians are suffering from aerial attacks, displacement and “disappearances”. A recent State Department country report highlighted the Sri Lanka government’s abuses, and stated that “the government’s respect for human rights continued to decline due in part to the escalation of the armed conflict.” Documented human rights violations, primarily occurring in Tamil areas of the island, include extrajudicial killings by government agents; politically-motivated assassinations; attacks against media, religious and humanitarian workers; government corruption and lack of transparency; and discrimination against Tamils, Christians and Muslims. The State Department report stated that the situation deteriorated particularly in the government-controlled Jaffna peninsula, a Tamil area. There the State Department found that recent Internally Displaced Peoples were prevented from returning to their homes because their places of origin were militarized and declared High Security Zones. These actions and abuses continue to fuel Tamil discontent and nationalism against the Sri Lanka government. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) publicly criticized the Sri Lankan government for distributing false information regarding the number of disappearances, and deplored Sri Lanka’s practice of lying about the severity of its human rights record. Due to the deteriorating situation, Human Rights Watch and the State Department both urgently called for international human rights monitors to investigate and report on human rights violations by both parties in the conflict. However, Sri Lanka has repeatedly refused to accept such a team. I call on the U.S. government to escalate pressure upon Sri Lanka to accept an international human rights monitoring mission and to respect international human rights standards. |
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