India, Myanmar and SL get tongue lashing from UN rights chief
SAM Report, September 13, 2017
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra’ad bin Hussein, has give three countries in the South Asian region a tongue lashing for their callousness towards grave human rights issues. These are India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
Increasing intolerance
Turning to the overall human rights situation in India, Zeid said: “I am also dismayed by a broader rise of intolerance towards religious and other minorities in India. The current wave of violent, and often lethal, mob attacks against people under the pretext of protecting the lives of cows is alarming.
People who speak out for fundamental human rights are also threatened.”
Extension of Universal Jurisdiction to Sri Lanka
As regards Sri Lanka, Zeid reiterated his demand for the extension of Universal Jurisdiction to Sri Lanka to enable courts in any part of the world to entertain war crimes cases against the Sri Lankan armed forces.
“The absence of credible action in Sri Lanka to ensure accountability for alleged violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law makes the exercise of universal jurisdiction even more necessary,” Zeid said in his opening speech at the 36th. session of the UNHRC in Geneva on Monday.
The UNHRC has been charging that in the final phase of Eelam Wa IV against the Tamil Tiger rebels, the Sri Lankan armed forces had committed war crimes.
“I urge the (Sri Lankan) Government to swiftly operationalize the Office of Missing Persons and to move faster on other essential confidence building measures, such as release of land occupied by the military, and resolving long-pending cases registered under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.”
http://southasianmonitor.com/2017/0...t-tongue-lashing-un-rights-chief-prince-zeid/