{"id":119533,"date":"2021-10-24T16:39:50","date_gmt":"2021-10-24T23:39:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=119533"},"modified":"2021-10-27T16:35:17","modified_gmt":"2021-10-27T23:35:17","slug":"erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-19e3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/10\/24\/erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-19e3\/","title":{"rendered":"ERASING THE EELAM VICTORY Part 19E3"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Revised 25.10.21<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tamil\nSeparatist Movement is very much in existence today, in the Pohottu period. The\nwebinar Sri Lanka: Quest for Justice, Rule of Law and Democratic Rights\u201d,\nco-hosted by the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), Centre for Human Rights and Global\nJustice \u2013 New York University, Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice and the\nCanadian Tamil Congress (CTC), was held in February 2021. It attracted more\nthan 3,000 live viewers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this webinar,\nM.A. Sumanthiran, stated that on its own, Sri Lanka will not deliver on\naccountability or justice. Sri Lanka is incapable and unwilling to deliver\njustice through domestic mechanisms, and there has to be international pressure.\nThis is the time for strong international involvement to prevent future violent\nconflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The webinar\nwelcomed the OHCHR report. Participants called for a strong resolution in the\nupcoming UNHRC session, which should incorporate the High Commissioner\u2019s\nrecommendations including a strong reporting function for OHCHR on human\nrights, a dedicated facility to collect and preserve evidence and the\napplication of universal jurisdiction, targeted sanctions, asset freezes and\ntravel bans. It was argued that international pressure, including economic\nleverage selectively applied, could be effective.  Both enlightened local\nleadership and strong international involvement were crucial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The People\nfor Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) said in 2021 that decisive\ninternational action is the only way to achieve justice and a sustainable peace\nin Sri Lanka. PEARL\nreferred to the UNHRC resolution of 2021.The resolution mandates the UN Office\nof the High Commissioner for Human Rights to collect and preserve evidence of\nserious violations of international law that occurred in Sri Lanka and report\non opportunities for accountability for these crimes. Though the resolution\nfalls short of the robust demands made by Tamil civil society, this is a\npositive step that has the potential to lead to an international accountability\nmechanism, which Tamils have long demanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We welcome\nthe Core Group\u2019s leadership and their engagement with Tamil groups throughout\nthe process,\u201d PEARL said. The limitations of the Human Rights Council have once\nagain become apparent. The Council is limited, by its scope and its inherently\npolitical nature, to act decisively, particularly when dealing with\nintransigent states.\u201d As a result, the resolution falls short of the joint\ndemands made by Tamil political parties and civil society groups,  that the UN should seek alternative avenues\nfor justice such as through universal jurisdiction or the International\nCriminal Court (ICC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PEARL believes\nthat member states of the UN must pursue decisive action beyond the Council. As\nhighlighted in the High Commissioner\u2019s report, member states should utilize the\nfull breadth of tools and sanctions under international law to support justice\nand accountability for Sri Lanka. PEARL continues to encourage countries to\npursue accountability for Sri Lanka\u2019s mass atrocities in venues such as the\nInternational Court of Justice, the ICC, or through the establishment of a\nspecial ad hoc tribunal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PEARL also\nencourages countries to leverage the evidence gathered through the OHCHR to\nwork with Tamil victim-survivor communities to initiate investigations and\nprosecutions in countries\u2019 own domestic courts. Sri Lanka\u2019s response today,\nlike its actions over the years, shows that decisive international action is\nthe only way to achieve justice and a sustainable peace on the island.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eleven Tamil\npolitical parties and civil society organizations wrote a joint letter dated\nJanuary 15, 2021 to 47 member-countries of the UN Human Rights Council,\nmaking   requests that went beyond the\nUNHRC, said critics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This group\nasked that<\/p>\n\n\n\n