UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay has sharply criticized the government of Sri Lanka for its authoritarian rule in spite of the end of civil war four years ago.
On Saturday, Pillay said she was “deeply concerned that Sri Lanka, despite the opportunity provided by the end of the war to construct a new vibrant all-embracing state, is showing signs of heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction.”
“The war may have ended, but in the meantime democracy has been undermined and the rule of law eroded,” she said.
The senior UN official further noted that she was concerned about the military’s increasing involvement in civilian affairs and urged the government to speed up demilitarization.
“I was concerned to hear about the degree to which the military appears to be putting down roots and becoming involved in what should be civilian activities, for instance education, agriculture and even tourism,” Pillay said.
The UN human rights chief also argued that military officials were harassing and intimidating priests, journalists and other civilians as punishment for having met her during a fact-finding trip to investigate alleged war crimes.
“This type of surveillance and harassment appears to be getting worse in Sri Lanka, which is a country where critical voices are quite often attacked or even permanently silenced.
“Utterly unacceptable at any time, it is particularly extraordinary or such treatment to be meted out during a visit by the UN high commissioner for human rights,” she said.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International said Pillayâ„¢s remarks echoed observations by the London-based organization that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka has worsened since the civil war ended in 2009.
“The Sri Lankan government still shows no real will to account for past crimes, combined with new attacks on those calling for accountability,” Amnesty’s deputy Asia Pacific director Polly Truscott said.
Truscott noted that there was “every need for the UN to set up an independent international investigation into crimes under international law in Sri Lanka.”
MP/KA
Republished from: Press TV