The 2006 Annual Report of the Observatory documents acts of repression faced by 1,311 human rights defenders, as well as obstacles to freedom of association, in about 90 countries around the world, including Sri Lanka. This new edition, of which Mr. Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations Organisation, is the author of the foreword, pays tribute to these women and men who, every day, and often risking their own lives, fight for law to triumph over arbitrariness. When they are not assassinated, defenders risk indeed their physical and psychological integrity, or their freedoms.
The report also documents acts of repression against human rights defenders in Asia, committed by both State- and non-State actors, such as extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances; arbitrary arrests, detentions and legal proceedings, threats and acts of harassment, restrictions to their freedoms of assembly, of association, of expression and of movement. It also notes that legislations, restrictions and emergency measures introduced by numerous Asian States in order to combat terrorism, safeguard national security or control the activities of NGOs seriously hindered the work of defenders. Lastly, the impunity for acts of reprisals committed against defenders was flagrant in the entire region, sending a message of encouragement to the authors of such serious violations.
On Sri Lanka, the report raises concern about the criminalisation of human rights activities, particularly through the Emergency (Prevention and Prohibition of Terrorism and Specified Terrorist Activities) Regulations promulgated on December 6, 2006, which introduce broad-based and vaguely defined terrorist offences that could criminalise human rights activities, in particular the defence of the freedoms of expression, association and assembly. It also highlights that threats against humanitarian workers, defenders working for peace and journalists have increased, in particular in the northern and eastern provinces.
The report also expresses concern about the various restrictions on humanitarian workers, in a context of the intensification of the conflict between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2006, highlighting that in August 2006 a new circular demanded that humanitarian workers register with the Ministry of Defence instead of the Ministry of Social Services and Social Welfare. These restrictions and the attacks on humanitarian workers have led several organisations to suspend their humanitarian activities.
The report also notes that the Presidential appointment of the members of the Human Rights Commission, despite the fact that the 17th amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka stipulates that the Constitutional Council alone can appoint the Commission members, and that this has seriously undermined the credibility and effectiveness of this independent body.
The report comes in the wake of attacks on aid workers, including the execution of 17 aid workers in August 2006 and throwing of grenades at three NGOs, both in the East of the country. Several other incidents of attacks on aid workers, attacks on NGO vehicles, abduction of aid workers have been reported and even those working with the National Human Rights Commission and the Scandinavian ceasefire monitors, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), have not been spared of attacks. Several peace activities, including inter religious peace events in the capital and other districts outside the main theatre of government - LTTE hostilities, were attacked and disrupted. Besides, an intensive defamation campaign was launched against peace activists and independent journalists have been killed, arrested and detained without charges, while work of media groups reporting escalating human rights violations media were severely restricted by the freezing of funds and restricting newsprints. Mr. Champika Ranawaka, Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, openly advocated using extrajudicial means to deal with these individuals and groups, widely referred to as terrorist supporters in a statement made to a Sinhalese weekly newspaper on February 18, 2007. Human rights defenders attending the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where the report was released, were particularly targeted in this hate campaign, especially by the state media. Impunity continues to thrive on all these cases, creating an environment that is openly hostile and threatens the work of human rights defenders, peace activists, independent media and humanitarian workers.
This report is available on both OMCT and FIDH websites, at the following links:
http://www.omct.org/pdf/Observatory/2007/observatoire_rapport_annuel2006_eng.pdf
http://www.fidh.org/article.php3?id_article=4108
For further information, please contact:
– Law and Society Trust: Ruki Fernando: + 94-77-3874160
– OMCT: Delphine Reculeau: +41 22 809 49 39
– FIDH : Gaël Grilhot : + 33 1 43 55 25 18