Rights Of Ethnic And Religious Minorities In Sri Lanka

EDM number 148 in 2012-13, proposed by John Mann on 11/06/2012.
Categorised under the topics of Asia and Human rights.

That this House recalls the bloody fighting in the final stages of the 26 year Sri Lankan civil war in May 2009, during which up to 40,000 civilians are said to have been killed and around 146,000 are said to have forcibly disappeared; notes the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Committee (LLRC), set up to investigate alleged war crimes and forced disappearances, has been criticised for not being credibly free of bias; further notes with concern that following the UN Human Rights Council Resolution of 22nd March 2012, urging Sri Lanka to seek independent external help, individuals such as Reverend Rayappu Joseph, Bishop of Mannar, who call for credible inquiries, have been harassed and villified as traitors; observes with concern that disappearances and extrajudicial killings, even of religious leaders, have continued after the Tamil cessation of hostilities in 2009; further observes that following his statement to the LLRC, Reverend Rayappu Joseph was detained and questioned by police without declared suspicion of criminal intent, in contravention of Sri Lankan criminal law; believes that the sanctity of personal freedoms as enshrined in international humanitarian law must always be upheld; and expresses concern regarding the safety of Reverend Rayappu Joseph and other individuals who speak out in favour of the democratic rights of ethnic and religious minorities in Sri Lanka.

This motion has been signed by a total of 28 MPs.