UN Adopts Resolution Against Sri Lanka

  • The resolution on ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’ was adopted in the United Nations Human Rights Council. 
  • 22 member states of the 47-member Council voted in its favour. 
  • India abstained from the vote. 
UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 
  • The draft resolution is based on a damning report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights that was submitted to the Human Rights Council on January 27. 
  • The report warned that Sri Lanka’s failure to address human rights violations and war crimes committed in the past had put the country on a “dangerous path” that could lead to a “recurrence” of policies and practices that gave rise to the earlier situation.
  • The report pointed to the appointment of at least 28 serving or former military and intelligence personnel to “key administrative posts”.
  • It also pointed at the appointments of two senior military officials implicated in UN reports on alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the final years of the conflict were “particularly troubling”.
THE RESOLUTION 
  • A first draft of a resolution to be tabled by the Core Group on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC, incorporates some of the elements of this report.
  • This includes strengthening the HRC’s capacity on preserving evidence, devising strategies for future accountability, and supporting judicial proceedings in members states.
  • This “zero draft”, dated February 19, also talks about encouraging the Sri Lankan government to implement the requirements of the previous 30/1 resolution (from which it pulled out) and two follow-on resolutions, 34/1 and 40/1.
  • The draft resolution asks the High Commissioner’s office to monitor progress on national reconciliation and accountability mechanisms, and come up with updates next March, and a full report in September 2022.
INDIA'S STAND
  • New Delhi voted against Sri Lanka in 2012 and abstained in 2014.
  • Ahead of elections in Tamil Nadu, major political parties in the State had urged Prime Minister Modi to take a stand against Sri Lanka in the UNHRC. 
  • Pointing to news reports that Sri Lanka was hopeful of India's support at the UNHRC session in connection with the resolution, DMK president M K Stalin said Prime Minister Modi's 'silence' over it has caused a big 'shock' among the Tamil diaspora and people in Tamil Nadu.
UNHRC
  • Founded: 15 March 2006.
  • President: Nazhat Shameem.
  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
  • Parent organization: United Nations General Assembly.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hamas V. PLO

The irony in the ongoing conflict is that Hamas, whose founding members were encouraged by Israel in the 1970s and 80s against Yasser Arafat’s secular national movement, has turned out to be Israel’s biggest rival in the Palestinian territories. HAMAS Hamas was established after the first intifada broke out in 1987, as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.  Intifada was the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  The first intifada lasted from 1987 to 1993, and the second began in 2000. As strife between Israel and Palestine continued to soar as the latter resorted to the First Intifada, or uprising, in December 1987, Hamas as an organisation led by Sunni-Islamic fundamentalists, began to take shape.  Hamas could gain immediate and immense popularity within the protesting Palestinians because it was ...
Read more

G7 global corporate Tax Deal

Image
The Group of Seven (G7) countries have backed the proposal to impose a common global corporate tax. It would be aimed at preventing multinational businesses from evading taxes and also squeeze the havens which attract tax evaders due to the low-rate jurisdictions.  The consensus to adopt a common tax rate was reached at the G7 finance ministers' meeting held in Buckingham (London) on June 5.  THE PROPOSAL The tax proposal endorsed by the US, the UK, France and other G7 countries has two parts.  The main part of the proposal states that countries around the world should tax their home companies' overseas profits at a rate of at least 15%.  The companies have multiple branches spread across various jurisdictions, they transfer the bulk of their profit in accounts set up in countries that offer the lowest tax rate.  Often, these tax havens are the Caribbean Islands such as Bahamas or British Virgin Islands, or at times, countries like Ireland where the corp...
Read more

The statue of Swami Vivekananda at the JNU campus

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually unveiled a life-sized statue of Swami Vivekananda at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus on November 12. JNUSU (JNU students' union), un response, planned to protest on campus.  They believe the Modi government “openly supported” violence on campuses and is attacking universities with the National Education Policy which will result in fund cuts and privatization of education. FUNDING CONTROVERSY It was on June 30, 2017 that JNU’s Executive Council (EC) first gave approval for the statue.  The administration said it was installing the statue to give the campus a more “pleasing look” as Vivekananda had contributed to “nation building”. The administration remained mum on who was funding the statue and how much it would cost.  Then JNU Students’ Union president N Sai Balaji filed several RTIs to know about the funding. In January 2018, he filed an RTI seeking the total cost of construction of the statue as well as the sour...
Read more