“Our people who spend their own money and take buses on the road to Geneva”?
The allegations regarding human rights can be mentioned as another most serious challenge that Sri Lanka is currently facing due to the current economic crisis. If we take the past few decades, it is a fact that the same accusations have been leveled more or less against the governments that ruled the country in those periods. In the background of the end of a 30-year war, the incidents of alleged human rights violations that occurred during the war have also been the subject of much discussion in recent times.
Although the accusations have been kept under wraps for now, it is clear from the human rights announcements coming out from the western countries that the severe impact that this may have on our country has not gone away at all, and that it can turn into a big fire at any moment that can sparks under the ashes. Although some political camps have tried to call these accusations as conspiracies of Western countries trying to bring Sri Lanka under their control, the accusations that have arisen have become a situation where they cannot be dismissed anymore because the country has moved through these accusations in the face of great danger.
SL economic crisis
In view of all these facts, Sri Lanka is currently facing a severe economic crisis. All sectors of the country collapsed due to the fuel crisis caused by the lack of dollar reserves. No one can say how long the common people of the country will have to live in the middle of this crisis, even if the government mints money and pays salaries to the public servants. Sri Lanka currently has no other option but to wait for a satisfactory answer from the International Monetary Fund. But it is a normal process for the International Monetary Fund to pay attention to the human rights situation of the respective country in order to issue its loans.
Accordingly, it is impossible to say now what opinion the International Monetary Fund, which is made up of many powerful Western countries, will have on the alleged human rights violations that have occurred in our country. The 51st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council is scheduled to be held in Geneva from the 12th of this month to the 7th of October. There, the challenge assigned to Ministers Ali Sabri and Vijayadasa Rajapaksa, who are participating on behalf of Sri Lanka, is to report on the progress made so far in the protection of democracy and human rights.
Government’s repressive programm
However, foreign media reports that the repressive program of the government which has been unleashed on unarmed fighters for the last few months will be discussed at the United Nations Human Rights Council this year, and through that, some very effective measures will be taken for our country. Also, the GSP given to Sri Lanka by the European Union. The media had reported that a special decision is likely to be taken during this year’s human rights session regarding the plus relief.acordingly, it is impossible to say now what opinion the International Monetary Fund, which is made up of many powerful Western countries, will have on the alleged human rights violations that have occurred in our country.
The 51st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council is scheduled to be held in Geneva from the 12th of this month to the 7th of October. There, the challenge assigned to Ministers Ali Sabri and Vijayadasa Rajapaksa, who are participating on behalf of Sri Lanka, is to report on the progress made so far in the protection of democracy and human rights.
However, foreign media reports that the repressive program of the government which has been unleashed on unarmed fighters for the last few months will be discussed at the United Nations Human Rights Council this year, and through that, some very effective measures will be taken for our country. Also, the GSP given to Sri Lanka by the European Union. The media had reported that a special decision is likely to be taken during this year’s human rights session regarding the plus relief.
Accordingly, it is not possible to say precisely what response Sri Lanka will receive from the Western countries at the UN Human Rights Session starting on the 12th, but the international media reports that Sri Lanka will have to face a very influential result.
28th August at Geneva
In such a background, a large number of Sri Lankans living in western countries gathered in front of the office of the Human Rights Commission in Geneva on the morning of the 28th and participated in a protest. Sri Lankans working in many western countries including France, Italy, Switzerland joined the protest, and it is special that they came to Geneva by buses from their areas. The protest was organized under the title ‘Against the repression of the immoral Ranil-Ranjapaksa government’
The Sri Lankans who gathered were also protesting the challenging situation faced by the people due to the electricity cut, lack of fuel, gas and medicine, and the rise in the price of essential materials. Also, among the other things that the people emphasized were to secure the freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and to stop the arrest of the people and the imposition of media censorship. They mentioned that President Ranil Wickremesinghe does not have a mandate of the people and that the government should be dissolved immediately and a general election should be held and a real democratic leader and government should be appointed.
However, resolving the human rights issue facing the country without further delay will severely affect the country’s progress. It can be more effective if everyone works together to overcome this crisis rather than dividing into opposition parties and competing for power. If not, nobody will be able to prevent Sri Lanka from being cornered and helpless in world politics during the upcoming human rights sessions.
Chanaka Liyanage