Sri Lanka on notice: Where do we go from here?

Published On Sat Mar 31 2012 Vani Selvarajah

About 1,000 people protest outside the UN's European headquarters in Geneva to demand an international investigation of alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka. (Feb. 27, 2012)

State sovereignty continues to be a shield throughout much of the world where there is a need to circumvent international law and human rights obligations. Sri Lanka is one such state and is a well-known violator of human rights. As a historic first, the United Nations Human Rights Council has taken a strong stance against the Sri Lankan state’s human rights record through a U.S.-initiated, Canada-sponsored resolution that questions the actions of the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the last phases of the civil war.

The resolution specifically calls for investigations into violations of international law, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. While it does not go as far as a much needed independent international investigation, it is definitely a step in the right direction.

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