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Lanka?
In Sri Lanka, the Commonwealth has a unique opportunity to restore its place on the global stage. But will
it work?
defeating Rajapaksa in the presidential election was the en masse Tamil and Muslim
voters who cast their ballots forMaithripala Sirisena. The newly formed government,
led by President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickramasinghe, has made conciliatory
public pronouncements on the need for national reconciliation. In comparison to the
previous decade under Rajapaksa, the current administrations admittedlysymbolic
gestures have rekindled hope and optimism, especially within the minority
communities, the Tamils and Muslims of the North and East.
Another issue that has occupied the public and political discourse since the inception
of the national government is the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Investigation of Sri Lanka (OISL). The OISL was established in March 2014, in
pursuance of Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution 25/1, to undertake a
With all vectors The OISL report was released during the recently concluded 30th
pointing
towards the
genuine
possibility for
bringing about
accountability,
crux of the report lay in the recommendations set out for the
of human rights investigators to account for war crimes and crimes against
abuses.
transitions from armed conflict and political violence into peaceful and democratic
societies. By rekindling efforts such as the 2013 Commonwealth Roundtable on
Reconciliation and bringing together the experiences and good practices of
Transitional Justice, the Commonwealth and its Human Rights Unit could contribute by
addressing Sri Lankas past, including truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of
non-recurrence.
The opportunity to assist Sri Lanka could revitalise the Commonwealth from its
slumber of earlier years. With the appointment of the first woman Secretary-General
and Malta as the Chair-in-Office for the next two years, the Commonwealth now has a
unique opening to restore its place on the global stage.
Posted by Thavam