Sri Lanka has received a clean bill of health from the UN Human Rights Council, which adopted a resolution praising the government for its humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Tamils. The resolution was approved by 29 nations, 12 voted against and six abstained.
China, Cuba, Egypt and Pakistan were some of the 29 countries that voted in favor of the resolution. All of the EU members of the Council, plus Switzerland, Bosnia Herzegovina, Canada, Chile and Mexico voted against.
The two-day special session was convened so the UN Human Rights Council could explore the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. The UN’s top human rights official and numerous rights and aid organizations have accused both the Sri Lankan government and now vanquished Tamil Tiger rebels of possible war crimes.
Their calls for an international, independent investigation into these allegations went unheeded. In fact, the resolution praises Sri Lanka for its victory over the Tamil Tigers and it condemns the rebels for using civilians as human shields.
The resolution also commends measures taken by Colombo to address the urgent needs of the Internally Displaced Persons. Read Full Article >>