Lankan Admiral features in Prince Hussein’s human rights speech

In a speech he delivered to the Law Society in London, the United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Zaid bin Ra’ad Al Hussein quoted the British Prime Minister Theresa May in making a reference to Sri Lanka.

He said: “A few days ago, citing Prime Minister May, a former Sri Lankan Rear Admiral delivered a petition to the President of the Human Rights Council. He demanded action be taken against my Office for “forcing” Sri Lanka to undertake constitutional reforms, and for exerting pressure on them to create a hybrid court to try perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity – when in reality, he claimed, all they had engaged in was fighting terrorism.

“My first question is: Why is international human rights law such an easy target? Why is it so misunderstood, so reviled by some, feared by others, spurned, attacked?”

Prince Hussein then went on to add; “And why are we fighting the terrorists in the first place, if not to defend both the physical well-being of people and the very human rights and values the Prime Minister now says she is willing, in part, to sacrifice – in order to fight the terrorists? And where would it stop? Foregoing some rights now may have devastating effects on other rights later on.”

It’s clear that the UN Human Rights Council is now under scrutiny, but only because the Western powers are having to fight ‘terrorists’ – even at the expense of human rights principles they want countries like Sri Lanka to have upheld while fighting terrorists.

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