Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoGENEVA / SRI LANKA
Download
There is no media available to download.
Share
STORY: GENEVA / SRI LANKA
TRT: 2.25
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 26 MAY 2009, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
FILE – RECENT, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, exterior Palais des Nations
26 MAY 2009, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. Tilt down, from art in ceiling of Human Rights Council to audience
3. Pan right, from table to video monitor showing Navi Pillay speaking
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“There are strong reasons to believe that both sides have grossly disregarded the fundamental principle of the inviolability of civilians. An independent and credible international investigation into recent events should be dispatched to ascertain the occurrence, nature and scale of violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as specific responsibilities.”
5. Cutaway, delegates
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Magdalena Seulveda, Human Rights Council Independent Expert on extreme poverty:
“It is clear that the LTTE has acted in flagrant violation of the applicable norms of international law by using civilians as human shields or in preventing them from leaving the conflict areas. As to the Government of Sri Lanka, citing security concerns, after three months it continues to detain in temporary camps the more than 300,000 men, women and children who escaped the fighting. This gives rise to concerns of arbitrary detention.”
7. Cutaway, delegates
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Mahinda Samaresinghe, Minister for Disaster Management and Human Rights, Sri Lanka:
“The government has right throughout this difficult phase of liberating our people from terrorism have never subscribed to the concept of a military solution as a final solution. We have all said that the only durable and lasting solution is a political process which addresses the socio-economic and political grievances and expectations of our citizens through a home-grown process acceptable to all sections of our multicultural society.”
9. Cutaway, delegates
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Mahinda Samaresinghe, Minister for Disaster Management and Human Rights, Sri Lanka:
“We will continue in our efforts to facilitate our bilateral and multilateral partners in complementing the efforts of the government in the multi-prong strategies that we will put into place in the post conflict era. This is what we must now engage in and not the naming and shaming.”
11. Wide shot, Human Rights Council
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called today (26 May) in Geneva for an independent investigation into alleged violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the Sri Lanka conflict.
Speaking in a recorded video message to the Human Rights Council, Pillay said there was strong reason to believe that both the Sri Lanka government and the rebel Tamil Tigers had grossly disregarded "the fundamental principle of the inviolability of civilians."
The High Commissioner said an independent and credible international investigation should look into the occurrence nature and scale of violations as well as specific responsibilities.
The Human Rights Council is meeting at the request of 30 countries led by the members of the European Union.
The UN body itself has a number of specially appointed experts who advise on and investigate human problems in various countries and on specific issues.
Magdelena Sepulveda, independent expert on extreme poverty spoke on their behalf at Tuesday's meeting. She said it was clear that the Tamil separatist movement had acted in flagrant violation of the applicable norms of international law by using civilians as human shields and preventing them from leaving the conflict zone.
The experts also said the Sri Lankan government's continued detention of three hundred thousand men, women and children in temporary camps raised concerns of arbitrary detention.
For his part Sri Lanka's Minister for Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samaresinghe said the government was committed to a political process addressing the socio-economic and political grievances and expectations of all citizens of its multi-cultural society.
It had never subscribed to the concept of a military solution as a final solution.
In an apparent reference to a draft resolution tabled by a number of Western countries, the minister said he saw no benefit in "naming and shaming".
