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Home > Struggle for Tamil Eelam > Sri Lanka Accused at United Nations > UN Sub Commission 1992
UN SUB COMMISSION ON PREVENTION
OF DISCRIMINATION AND PROTECTION OF MINORITIES
44TH SESSIONS: AUGUST 1992Joint Statement of Twenty Two Non Governmental Organisations
- International Educational Development, National Aboriginal and Islander Legal Services, Indigenous World Association,.Four Direction Council, International Indian Treaty Council, International League for the Rights and Liberation of Peoples' World University Services, Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among the People, Fèdèration Syndicale Mondiale, General Arab Women Federation, Center Europe-Tiers Monde (CETIM), International Commission of Jurists, Arab Organization for Human Rights, Arab Lawyers Union, Latin American Federation of Association of Relatives of Disappeared Detainees, Women's International Democratic Federation, Liberation, International Peace Bureau, International Abolitionist Federation. American Association of Jurists, Habitat International Coalition and Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
''Our organizations have been extremely concerned about violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Sri Lanka both in the context of the Tamil people and their national struggle in the north and east and the oppression of political factions in the south.
At present, we strongly condemn the economic blockade in place since July 1990 as well as on-going military attacks on refugee camps, residential areas and protected facilities such as places of worship, schools and hospitals. Disappearances in the south and east continue unabated, numbering more than 5,000 in the east since June 1990.
The Sub-Commission first adopted a resolution on Sri Lanka in 1984 following extensive testimony regarding communal violence against the Tamils. The Commission on Human Rights has also responded, most notably in its resolution 1987/61 in which it called upon the parties to the conflict to comply with humanitarian norms.
The Commission rapporteurs on torture and summary execution as well as the Working Group on Disappearances have also been compelled to address the grave situation in Sri Lanka annually for a number of years. In 1991 the Working group visited Sri Lanka, and in UN Doc. E/CN 4/1992/18/ Add.1 reported truly alarming statistics on disappearances in all parts of the country.
As a result of this evidence, and also in response to compelling evidence of widespread humanitarian law violations, on 27 February 1992 the Commission read out a statement of "serious concern". The statement once again called upon all parties "to respect fully the universally accepted rules of humanitarian law" and urged negotiations "based on the principles of human rights and fundamental freedoms, leading to a durable peace in the north and east of the country."
Regrettably, the Sri Lankan government has not seriously responded to the many proposals for cease-fire and peace talks, even when presented by other concerned governments.
We are disappointed at the recent rejection by the Sri Lankan government of the Canadian Human Rights Mission, composed of members of Parliament, religious leaders, a lawyer and a journalist as a mediating body. This was followed by a failure to respond to an offer by the government of Sweden to mediate....
...we ask the Sub-Commission (1) to urge a cease fire and negotiations between the warring parties within the context of the aspirations of the Tamil people; (2) to call on the parties to comply fully with humanitarian law norms; (3) to demand the lifting of the economic blockade of the north of the country; (4) to restore fully all human rights and fundamental freedoms."
