{"id":150118,"date":"2025-06-07T14:18:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-07T21:18:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=150118"},"modified":"2025-06-07T14:18:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-07T21:18:31","slug":"questions-to-the-incoming-unhrc-head-on-behalf-of-concerned-citizens-of-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2025\/06\/07\/questions-to-the-incoming-unhrc-head-on-behalf-of-concerned-citizens-of-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"Questions to the incoming UNHRC Head \u2013 On Behalf of Concerned Citizens of Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shenali D Waduge<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n
\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka stands today as the ONLY nation that defeated one of the world\u2019s most ruthless terrorist organizations\u2014the LTTE\u2014without international military assistance. In doing so, it upheld its sovereign duty to protect all citizens, irrespective of ethnicity or religion, and ushered in a lasting peace after 30 years of carnage. Yet, paradoxically, since that historic moment in May 2009, Sri Lanka has faced relentless international censure\u2014driven not by legal objectivity, but by politically influenced narratives, double standards, and unverified claims. This set of questions is respectfully directed to the incoming High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Office of the UNHRC, in the spirit of transparency, fairness, and mutual accountability. These questions demand clarity on legal authority, procedural fairness, factual accuracy, and the continued erosion of Sri Lanka\u2019s sovereignty through repeated country-specific resolutions, all while far graver human rights abuses in other global theatres are left untouched. It is time to ask: Has the UN system become a tool for political pressure, or does it still stand for the impartial protection of human rights and the sovereign equality of nations as enshrined in the UN Charter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I. Violation of UN Charter & Sovereignty<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Under which provision of the UN Charter was the UNSG authorized to appoint a Panel of Experts (PoE) on Sri Lanka in June 2010 without the consent of the General Assembly or Security Council?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Why was the PoE report leaked to the media instead of being officially tabled before the UNSC, UNGA, or OHCHR? Why was Sri Lanka denied the right to officially respond?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Why did the UN fail to consult the democratically elected Government of Sri Lanka before initiating external accountability mechanisms?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. How does the UN justify selective scrutiny of Sri Lanka when it has not pursued similar inquiries in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, or Palestine?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Why has the UN never acknowledged that this is the only instance where post-war punitive action has been taken against a government that defeated a UN-designated terrorist group?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Why has the UNHRC never publicly affirmed Sri Lanka\u2019s right to defend its sovereignty against terrorism, particularly from the LTTE, which employed suicide bombings, assassinations, child soldiers, and mass civilian massacres?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    II. Illegitimacy of the UNSG\u2019s Panel of Experts (Darusman Report)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Why was the Darusman Panel appointed in secret, with no Sri Lankan representation, and\u00a0without UN General Assembly or UNSC mandate?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Is the UNHRC aware that the\u00a0Darusman Report clearly statesit is not an investigation but merely an advisory report\u201d to the UNSG?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Why did the UNHRC base\u00a0multiple resolutions and OHCHR reportson an advisory note (Darusman Report) which lacks legal standing and admissibility in courts?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. What\u00a0ethical standardswere followed in releasing the Darusman Report selectively to the public and media, before giving Sri Lanka a chance to respond?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      III. Bias & One-Sidedness in UNHRC Resolutions<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. Why have all UNHRC resolutions\u00a0singled out Sri Lanka\u2019s armed forces and government, while ignoring the LTTE\u2019s 30 years of mass murder, bombings, child conscription, and use of human shields & hostages?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        1. Why did the OHCHR reports and resolutions\u00a0omit or downplay\u00a0the countless war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the LTTE, including the killing of Tamil civilians who refused to join them?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Why has the UNHRC never conducted or demanded an\u00a0investigation into international complicity\u00a0in arming, funding, or politically supporting the LTTE?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          IV. Post-War Manipulation, Legal Overreach & Lack of Closure<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          1. Why is the UNHRC pressuring Sri Lanka to adopt hybrid courts, transitional justice mechanisms, and foreign interventions while dismissing the success of post-war domestic processes, such as the LLRC, rehabilitation of 12,000 ex-combatants, and reintegration of 594 former child soldiers?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. What is the legal basis for proposing hybrid courts and inclusion of foreign judges when Sri Lanka is not a party to any treaty or agreement that compels such interference in its judicial sovereignty?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          3. Why has there been no recognition by the UN or OHCHR of Sri Lanka\u2019s voluntary and unprecedented efforts at post-conflict reconciliation, including the reintegration of former LTTE fighters, demining, and infrastructure rebuilding in war-torn areas?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          4. How does the UNHRC justify persistent country-specific targeting in breach of its own principle of impartiality and equal treatment of all member states?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          5. What is the UNHRC\u2019s legal mandate to apply international human rights law (IHRL) selectively to a non-international armed conflict when the correct legal framework under international law is International Humanitarian Law (IHL)?<\/strong>In armed conflicts, IHL\u2014not HRL\u2014is the governing legal regime. On what basis does the OHCHR elevate human rights law over IHL, particularly when assessing the final stages of the Sri Lankan conflict?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          6. Can the UNHRC clarify why it continues to ignore that during armed conflict, actions are governed by the Geneva Conventions and related customary humanitarian law\u2014not by the framework of civil peacetime human rights law?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            V. Inconsistencies, Secrecy & Data Manipulation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            1. Why did the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) continue to quote the unverified figure of40,000 civilian deaths<\/strong>\u00a0in Sri Lanka\u2019s final war phase, despite lacking independently verified names, forensic evidence, or transparent methodology?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            2. Why has the UNHRC and OHCHR ignoredSri Lanka\u2019s official census data (7,400 deaths)<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0UN Country Team estimates (7,721 deaths)<\/strong>\u2014both based on ground-level assessments\u2014yet the PoE stated this figure was too small to accept\u201d?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            3. On what grounds has the United Nations refused to release its owninternal wartime communications<\/strong>, situation reports, and casualty logs that would provide an accurate and impartial death toll\u2014especially when those internal records reportedly\u00a0do not support the inflated death figures<\/strong>\u00a0circulated by media outlets and repeated in UN resolutions?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            4. Why has the UN system, including OHCHR, failed toaudit and disclose<\/strong>\u00a0the data sources, field methodologies, and statistical models behind these influential but disputed figures, even when requested by member states?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            5. Is it not a violation ofbasic standards of evidence and fairness<\/strong>\u00a0for the UN to have permitted unverified claims of mass civilian deaths to be\u00a0used as the basis for repeated resolutions<\/strong>\u00a0against Sri Lanka, while denying Sri Lanka the right to challenge the figures or present its own verified data?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              VI. Accountability & Transparency in UN Process<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              1. Will the UNHRC declassify all communications related to Sri Lanka\u2019s war from 2006 to 2009, including those of the\u00a0UN Resident Coordinator\u2019s office, NGOs, and affiliated agencies?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                1. What mechanisms does the UNHRC have in place to\u00a0prevent conflict of interest, where NGOs writing reports also fund or influence UNHRC resolutions?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                2. What steps will the UNHRC take to ensure that\u00a0Sri Lanka is not coerced\u00a0into accepting foreign models of justice that violate its Constitution?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  VII. Historical Context & Double Standards<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \n
                  1. Why is the UN silent about the\u00a0LTTE\u2019s assassinations of Tamil leaders, including Lakshman Kadirgamar, Neelan Thiruchelvam, and hundreds of Tamil civil society leaders?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  2. Will the UNHRC acknowledge that\u00a0Sri Lanka\u2019s conflict was not ethnicbut caused by\u00a0separatist terrorism, and apologize for misrepresenting it as Sinhala-Buddhist oppression?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  3. Why does the UN refuse to engage in\u00a0truth-telling about the foreign governments and NGOs\u00a0that supported the LTTE directly or indirectly during the war?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    VIII. Final Questions of Good Faith<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      \n
                    1. Does the UNHRC believe that Sri Lanka, having\u00a0ended a ruthless terrorist insurgencyand resettled over 300,000 civilians, deserves recognition rather than condemnation?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                        \n
                      1. Will the new UNHRC leadership\u00a0commit to impartiality, abandon politicized pressure, and finally allow Sri Lanka to heal without foreign interference?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      2. Will the HRC agree to\u00a0review and audit the legality\u00a0of all resolutions passed on Sri Lanka since 2012 and their alignment with the UN Charter?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                        IX. Defamation of War Heroes & absurdity of Genocide claims<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                          \n
                        1. Why is the UNHRC silent while decorated Sri Lankan war heroes\u2014who courageously led operations to end terrorism\u2014are falsely accused of war crimes and genocide, and even subjected to foreign sanctions, despite no credible legal proceedings or evidence?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        2. How does the UN justify branding individuals as war criminals when the very army commander who led the military campaign is not among the accused, exposing the arbitrary and politically motivated nature of these allegations?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        3. Can the UNHRC explain how saving 300,000 Tamil civilians through the largest hostage rescue operation in modern military history can be reconciled with the accusation of deliberately killing 40,000 civilians? Isn\u2019t such a contradiction absurd and defamatory?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        4. Why have foreign governments that actively supported, funded, or harbored LTTE operatives\u2014despite LTTE\u2019s proscription under UNSC Resolution 1373\u2014never been investigated or held accountable?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        5. Why is there no scrutiny of the LTTE-linked diaspora entities still operating in foreign capitals, openly glorifying terrorism and distorting the narrative with fabricated death tolls?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        6. How does the UNHRC justify the repeated citation of the 40,000 civilian death claim when there are no verified bodies, no police complaints, no forensic evidence, and even the UN\u2019s own country team and Sri Lanka\u2019s census data contradict this number?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        7. Is it not time for the UN to call out the propaganda, reject data manipulation, and end this politically driven witch-hunt? The truth must prevail, and false genocide labels must not be allowed to taint a nation that defeated terrorism and safeguarded human lives.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                          What the JVP\u2013NPP Government & President Anura Kumara Dissanayake must demand from the visiting UNHRC Head:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                            \n
                          • Declassification<\/strong>of all UNHRC\/OHCHR internal reports and wartime communications related to Sri Lanka.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • Reciprocity & equality<\/strong>in how human rights violations are assessed\u2014especially when Western powers evade similar scrutiny.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • A full review<\/strong>of all UNHRC resolutions passed against Sri Lanka, including their legal basis and procedural fairness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                            These questions and expectations represent the sentiments of a nation that has endured terrorism, protected its sovereignty, and pursued peace\u2014despite external pressures and distortions. The time has come for transparency, fairness, and closure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            Let Sri Lanka remind the incoming High Commissioner for Human Rights that this nation endured three decades of brutal terrorism. If the effort, urgency, and scrutiny that the UN and UNHRC have exerted since the defeat of the LTTE had been applied during the LTTE\u2019s reign of terror, countless innocent lives could have been saved. Instead, the current UN approach appears more focused on questioning how the terrorists were eliminated than on appreciating the peace that now prevails. It is time to acknowledge the undeniable reality:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            Sri Lanka is living without terror today\u2014not because of international intervention, but in spite of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            Shenali D Waduge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                            Shenali D Waduge Sri Lanka stands today as the ONLY nation that defeated one of the world\u2019s most ruthless terrorist organizations\u2014the LTTE\u2014without international military assistance. In doing so, it upheld its sovereign duty to protect all citizens, irrespective of ethnicity or religion, and ushered in a lasting peace after 30 years of carnage. Yet, paradoxically, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-150118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shenali-waduge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150118\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}