By The government’s proposed National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) has come in for criticism from a leading international human rights organisation, which also condemns the ongoing persecution of victims’ families, human rights activists and media personnel giving voice to the lack of accountability and justice for the thousands of the forcibly disappeared.
“The government’s targeting of those campaigning for justice undermines the credibility of the latest initiative,” said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a new report titled, ‘If We Raise Our Voice They Arrest Us’: Sri Lanka’s Proposed Truth and Reconciliation Commission, charging that the NURC “appears to be primarily an attempt to deflect international pressure at the Human Rights Council from genuine truth and justice.”
The report by Human Rights Watch highlights the ongoing persecution of victims’ families, human rights activists and media personnel giving voice to the lack of accountability and justice for the thousands of the forcibly disappeared in Sri Lanka.
The report also criticizes the government’s proposed National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC), stating that it “appears to be primarily an attempt to deflect international pressure at the Human Rights Council from genuine truth and justice.”
The report calls on the Sri Lankan government to end the surveillance and intimidation of victims and activists, to genuinely engage with victims and affected communities, and to build on the evidence collected and recommendations made by past commissions.
The report also calls on foreign governments, the United Nations, and other international institutions to support these efforts and to hold the Sri Lankan government accountable for its human rights record.
