Sri Lanka tells UNHRC it had to realign its immediate priorities

Sri Lanka has informed the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that following the Easter Sunday attacks this year it was compelled to realign its immediate priorities.

The Sri Lankan delegation attending the 42nd session of the UNHRC in Geneva, said that Sri Lanka’s?national commitment and resolve to make continued progress remain strong despite constraints.

“The Constitution of Sri Lanka which comprises the 19^th Amendment, which has created several independent institutions as checks and balances on the use of state power, and the laws of the country, inform and underpin actions and decisions of the different arms of the State. Rule of Law has been further strengthened by the recent decisions of the higher judiciary,” a member of the Sri Lankan delegation, Dayani Mendis said.

The Sri Lankan delegation urged the Council to accord due recognition to the gains made by Sri Lanka amidst numerous challenges, including a spate of terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of many hundreds of innocent Sri Lankans as well as foreigners on Easter Sunday this year and that has compelled Sri Lanka to realign its immediate priorities.

“It is important to underscore, however, Sri Lanka?s commitment to principles enabling the proliferation and protection of human rights for all its citizens, even as we face numerous challenges in the post-Easter Sunday context,” the Sri Lankan delegation said.

The Sri Lankan delegation further noted that Sri Lanka accords importance to the protection and promotion of human rights.

The delegation noted that Sri Lanka?s progress in this respect, despite the many challenges that arose over the past few years, manifests the strong commitment that Sri Lanka has maintained, and continues to maintain,in the furtherance of the practices that ensure human rights for all. (Colombo Gazette)