Colombo
No End in Sight
The UNHRC move, orchestrated by the US and its global allies, was more of a political ploy employed against the crisis-hit Sri Lanka because of its tilt towards China.
The ongoing political and economic crisis in Sri Lanka has proved to be devastating for the people of the island country who are now struggling for even basic necessities. Ever since the country ran out of its foreign exchange reserves in July last year, the people have experienced a steep decline in their living standards and the same ordeal continues with no end in sight in the near future. With the shortage of forex reserves to pay for the much-need imports of foods, medicines, oil, gas and the rest of the critical items, there has been an acute shortage of such basic necessities in a low-income country like Sri Lanka. The island nation now seems to have lost the economic direction altogether it was once heading towards through judicious planning and long-term vision.
The nightmare all started in July 2022 when Sri Lanka failed to meet its debt obligations and defaulted on the external debt of over $50bn, which it owed to China and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Adversely impacted by the sovereign default, the common Sri Lankans have been holding frequent protests against the ‘incompetent, ineffective and corrupt government’ from time to time. The first mass protests took place in July when the enraged public took on the presidential palace and ousted the then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa out of power.
However, ever since Ranil Wickremesinghe assumed charge as the new President of Sri Lanka on July 21, 2022, the Western countries have been speaking up against the human rights violations in Sri Lanka, openly criticising the Wickremesinghe-led government for its ‘callous disregard’ for human rights. As revealed by the Human Rights Watch, an international organisation that conducts research and advocacy on human rights, the Sri Lankan government has been suppressing the people’s democratic voices along with their peaceful protests. To make matters worse, those who take to the streets to protest against the incapable and ‘corrupt’ government are being arrested and beaten in police custody.
Given this miserable scenario, it is appropriate to ask as to what role the United Nations and European Nation have been playing in pressing the Sri Lankan government to uphold basic human rights while addressing the prevailing economic crisis?
In October, a resolution was moved in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to condemn the rampant human rights violations in Sri Lanka, and to force the country to uphold the fundamental human rights and freedoms within democratic means. Drafted by the UK, the US, France, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands, the resolution was moved in the presence of about 47 members of the UNHRC. Some 20 member countries voted in its favour, while 7 members, including China and Pakistan, voted against the resolution. However, about 20 member states, including India, abstained from voting. India later issued a statement saying that it would urge Sri Lanka to do better on that count.
Although the resolution was aimed at pressing Sri Lanka to fulfil its human rights obligations as well as smooth operation of its concerned agencies and departments working for the prevention of such violations, the UNHRC move, orchestrated by the US and its allies, was not free from controversies either and was seen as a political ploy than a genuine move employed against the crisis-hit nation because of its tilt towards China. In fact, the countries opposing the resolution against the Sri Lankan government were from the China led-bloc which included Pakistan, Cuba, Bolivia, Eretria, Uganda and Venezuela that are not European countries and have strained relations with the US.
What’s more, India did not support the resolution either. It bears mention here that India is a country that has always been critical of Sri Lanka for its persecution of Tamil minorities, who are ethnically linked with India. So, why exactly did it reject the resolution when it was aimed at upholding the human rights of all the citizenry?
The United States and the European Union must step in to make Sri Lanka fulfil its human rights obligations.
There is no denying the fact about the poor state of human rights in Sri Lanka today. For instance, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been using the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which was initially introduced in 1979 to counter the violence unleashed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Now, the PTA is being employed to crack down on peaceful protestors, particularly the young students. In addition to that, the Sri Lankan President has even threatened to call the security forces and impose an emergency to quash the increasing number of protests taking place across the country.
Meenakshi Ganguly, who is associated with the Human Rights Watch as its Director for the South Asian region, says, “Sri Lankans are facing desperate food insecurity and other hardships, yet the new government is focused on repressing peaceful protesters and social activists.”
“The government should be engaging with the public and international financial institutions to address Sri Lanka’s massive economic crisis,” according to Ganguly. In an article written for the Human Rights Watch, another analyst Sarah Sandaun writes, “Despite the many challenges facing the country, the new government of President Ranil Wickremesinghe seems more focused on suppressing dissent than on solving the economic crisis, even as it negotiates a loan from the IMF.”
The United States and the European Union must step in to make Sri Lanka fulfil its human rights obligations. They also need to expedite their efforts in helping the country secure the most essential bailout package from the IMF. The Sri Lankan people are desperately looking to them for their rescue.
The writer is a freelance columnist based in Larkana, Sindh. He can be reached at sjatoi831@gmail.com
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