While welcoming Lanka’s proposal to establish a Judicial Mechanism with a Special Counsel to investigate allegations, the draft says that for a justice process to be credible and impartial, it is “important to have in the Sri Lankan judicial mechanism, including the Special Counsel’s office, Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defence lawyers, and authorized prosecutors and investigators.”
Change Domestic Law
The resolution encourages Lanka to reform its domestic law to ensure that it can effectively implement its own commitments, the recommendations made in the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, as well as the recommendations of the report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights requested in resolution 25/1.
Sack Criminals in Uniform
The resolution calls upon Lanka to introduce effective security sector reforms as part of its “transitional justice process” that leaves no scope for the retention in or recruitment into the security forces, of anyone credibly implicated in rights violation cases.
Reform Anti-Terror Act
The resolution welcomes the Lankan government’s commitment to review the Public Security Ordinance Act and review and repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act and replace it with anti-terrorism legislation in line with contemporary international best practices.
Sign Convention on Disappearances
It also welcomes Lanka’s commitment to sign and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances without delay, to criminalize enforced disappearances and to begin issuing Certificates of Absence to the families of the missing as a temporary measure of relief.
UN Should Monitor
It requests the Office of the High Commissioner to continue to assess progress on the implementation of its recommendations and other relevant processes related to reconciliation, accountability, and human rights; to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-second session, and a comprehensive report followed by discussion on the implementation of the present resolution at its thirty-fourth session.
(newindianexpress.com)
