UNITED NATIONS
COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Fifty-sixth session
Agenda item 9
Gross Violations
March 30, 2000
Oral presentation by Karen Parker
VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS
SRI LANKA
International Educational Development informs the Commission that our
delegate and friend Kumar (G.G. Jr) Ponnambalam was assassinated January 5
2000 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Barrister Ponnambalam, a tireless defender of
human rights for the Tamil people and leader of the oldest Tamil political
party in Sri Lanka, represented us at the Commission on Human Rights and
at the Sub-Commission for a number of years. We note that the Sri Lankan
president's condolence letter to his widow bears the date May 6, 1999 -- in
fact just shortly after Kumar attended the 55th session of the Commission
and when he was alive and well and visiting the United States. To date, the
President of Sri Lanka has not explained this. We must also bring to the
attention of the Commission two salient facts regarding the Tamil-Sri
Lankan War. First: the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have made
substantial military victories over the Sri Lankan forces in the past few
months and stand poised for further military victories as we speak. We have
always said that this war could not be won militarily by the Sri Lankan
forces and that alternatives to armed conflict to resolve the Tamil issue
in Sri Lanka must be undertaken. Second: the government of Norway has
courageously undertaken an initiative to mediate between the government of
Sri Lanka and the LTTE. This
humanitarian gesture is the world's best hope of resolving this
long-standing war and to allowing the
people on Ceylon -- Sinhala and Tamil alike -- to develop a framework in
which they can live peacefully.
The Commission should endorse in the most supportive way possible this very
real and very promising offer.
SIERRA LEONE
IED/HLP has followed the war in Sierra Leone for many years and includes it
in
our annual report Armed
Conflict in the World Today: A Country by Country Review. (Our year 2000
review is forthcoming). We are pleased that the Commission and the High
Commissioner is finally giving this tragic war the attention it merits. We
would like to add several events that have taken place since the High
Commissioner's report (E/CN.4/2000/31) was issued. First, since the Peace
plan of July 1999 (Lome) RUF Commander Sam Bokarie refused to cooperate and
continued to terrorize
civilians in areas under his control, in defiance of Mr. Sankoh. Mr.
Bokarie then stated that he opposed the UN forces (UNAMSIL: the United
Nations Mission in Sierra Leone -- which replaced UNOMSIL: the United
Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone in October 1999). In December
1999, the troops still commanded by Mr. Bokarie abducted two members of
Medicines Sans Frontieres. Renewed fighting resulted in at least 5000 more
internal and external refugees. In February 2000,
the UN Security Council increased UNAMSIL by an additional 5000 persons.
Finally, in March 2000 there has been an announcement by the renegade RUF
to cooperate with UN but we have yet to see what this means on the ground.
As of late February only 7000 of 45000 combatants had reported to
"disarmament camps" and most without weapons. We continue to be concerned
about the situation in Bo and other areas as essential food and medicine
does not always get to the people. We emphasize that 30% of the population
of Sierra Leone is displaced and that 400,000 people are still in Guinea.
MOLUCCAS/EAST TIMOR
IED/HLP welcomed the involvement of the UN in resolving the situation in
East
Timor and most especially the Commission's 4th special session (September
1999), which in its resolution 1999/S-4/1 established a commission of
inquiry to compile information regarding violations of human rights and
humanitarian law since January 1999. The Commission's report
(A/54/726;S/2000/59) confirms a wide pattern of violations and recommends
that a special tribunal beset up. We also strongly support this. However,
the same government -- Indonesia -- has carried out similar activities in
Acheh and the Moluccas, and in the interest of uniformity
non-discrimination we recommend a similar commission of inquiry into these
other areas as well as a combined human rights tribunal. The Chair's
Statement at the 1999 Sub-Commission reflects concern over the human rights
crisis in Acheh and the Moluccas. At present we are extremely concerned
about the situation in the Moluccas where in January 2000 one of the worst
weeks of violence in the history of Indonesia took place and has scarcely
improved to date.
MEXICO
IED/HLP looked to the visits of High Commissioner Robinson, Special
Rapporteur
Jahangir and
Sub-Commission Member Erica Irene Daes with great anticipation in the
process of improvement of human rights in Mexico. Promises were made by the
government of Mexico to the UN investigators that the pattern of abuses
confirmed by the UN investigators would cease. In spite of the promises and
expectations, the situation has in fact appeared to worsen, especially in
Chiapas. For example, on January 13, 2000, Martin Sanchez Hernandez from
Chabajeval (El Bosque) was assassinated. Then on February 1, 2000, Lorenzo
Perez Hernandez, Rodolfo Gomez Ruiz and Martin Gomez Jimenez
were assassinated and Mateo Jimenez Nunez wounded in the same area -- also
the site of the massacre of 8 indigenous men in 1998. The four gunmen
alleged to be responsible for the murders this year, remain at large. IED
urges the Commission to keep review of human rights in Mexico as an issue
of high priority.