{"id":4301,"date":"2022-10-12T12:39:41","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T16:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tamilrightsgroup.org\/?p=4301"},"modified":"2022-10-19T08:45:17","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T12:45:17","slug":"tamil-rights-group-reiterates-commitment-to-advancing-justice-and-accountability-for-eelam-tamils-following-the-un-human-rights-councils-51st-general-session","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tamilrightsgroup.org\/ta\/tamil-rights-group-reiterates-commitment-to-advancing-justice-and-accountability-for-eelam-tamils-following-the-un-human-rights-councils-51st-general-session\/","title":{"rendered":"Tamil Rights Group Reiterates Commitment to Advancing Justice and Accountability for Eelam Tamils Following the UN Human Rights Council\u2019s 51st General Session"},"content":{"rendered":"

October 14, 2022
For Immediate Release<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Markham, Canada –<\/strong> On October 6, 2022, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) voted on A\/HRC\/51\/L.1\/Rev.1 – Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka <\/em>at the now concluded 51st General Session, with 20 member states voting in favour of the resolution, seven against it, and 20 abstaining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While efforts to keep Sri Lanka accountable at the UNHRC is welcome, the Tamil Rights Group (TRG) remains gravely concerned that the Council has not been able to progress stronger action to address the consistent appeal by Eelam Tamils living in the traditional Tamil homelands on the island as well as the global diaspora to recommend the referral of Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide perpetrated against the Tamil people. While the resolution also recognises Sri Lanka\u2019s current severe economic crisis and the need to investigate and prosecute corruption, it needs to be understood by the international community that a fundamental root cause for this deep crisis is the decades long ethnic conflict with the atrocity crimes and the cruel war on Tamils which inevitably led to the decimation of the economy. It has also allowed for exacerbated human rights violations specifically against Eelam Tamils to continue more than a decade after the end of the armed conflict, with unprecedented military spending and heavy militarisation leading to abuse and intimidation, enforced disappearances, torture, rape and sexual violence, land grabs, cultural vandalism, and forced colonisation of the traditional Tamil areas with the backing of state machinery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 TRG firmly believes that all possible actions under international law and human rights principles must be pursued following the recent UNHRC session in order to progress tangible justice and accountability for the Eelam Tamil people. In this regard, the TRG also welcomes the comprehensive report from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the progress being made by the OHCHR Sri Lanka Accountability Project team to collect evidence of international crimes in Sri Lanka. The resolution passed at this session includes the provision to extend and reinforce the evidence collection mechanism for the next two years, an important move that will help to progress future justice and accountability actions, sending a clear warning to the alleged perpetrators of these heinous crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recently concluded 51st General Session also marks TRG\u2019s inaugural campaign at the UNHRC as part of a month-long engagement with member states and civil society organisations, UN officials, fellow Tamil activists from Eelam and around the world, and elected officials from the island\u2019s Northern and Eastern provinces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amongst TRG\u2019s efforts at this session, it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n