US Human Rights report accuses Sri Lankan Security forces of committing human rights abuses

Fri, Feb 28, 2014, 12:56 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Feb 27, Washington, DC: The United States in a damning report today accused that Sri Lankan authorities maintained effective control over the security forces and the security forces committed human rights abuses.

The 2013 Human Rights Report released by the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Thursday said the Sri Lankan government officials and others tied to the ruling coalition enjoyed a high degree of impunity.

"The government prosecuted a very small number of government and military officials implicated in human rights abuses and had yet to hold anyone accountable for alleged violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law that occurred during the conflict that ended in 2009," the report said.

According to the report, attacks on, and harassment of, civil society activists, journalists, and persons viewed as sympathizers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorist organization by individuals allegedly tied to the government were a major human right problem.

Among other violations are, creating an environment of fear and self-censorship; involuntary disappearances and a lack of accountability for thousands who disappeared in previous years; and widespread impunity for a broad range of human rights abuses, particularly torture by police and attacks on media institutions and the judiciary.

The 2013 report acknowledged that disappearances and killings continued to diminish in comparison with the immediate postwar period but attacks, harassment, and threats by pro-government loyalists against critics of the government were prevalent, contributed to widespread self-censorship by journalists, and diminished democratic activity due to the general failure to prosecute perpetrators.

The report highlighting the corruption and lack of transparency in government said the nepotism and cronyism continued, and ruling-party loyalists allegedly received favored consideration for high-ranking government and business positions.

Enforced and involuntary disappearances continued to be a problem, the report said adding that there were no official statistics regarding such disappearances, and citizens' considerable fear of reporting such incidents made reliable accounting difficult.

The Section on Sri Lanka of the 2013 US Human Right Report

The Section on Sri Lanka of the 2013 US Human Right Report by nelvely