HRC46: Not for Reform But for Respite
Why do Sri Lankan human rights advocates repeatedly place their trust in an imperfect and highly politicised inter-state human rights mechanism year after year? For many of us working in the domain…
War Crimes
The Subaltern in Search of Speech
Professor Gayatri Spivak Chakravarti, I would like to thank you, Mr. Mawng Zarni and his enthusiasm for bringing me here today to discuss one of the most important issues of our lifetime.…
War Crimes in Sri Lanka: Stain or slander?
-Darshan Weerasekera[2] Whether or not the actions of the government and the guardians of the nation during the last stage of the civil war (2006-2009) were a stain on the country’s national…
The Road to Nandikadal and the struggle for the military history of the Ealam war
Sri Lanka’s separatist war was one of the longest insurgencies of modern times. It was also one of the most destructive insurgencies in the region, causing the deaths of tens of thousands…
Flip-flopping on accountability: A timeline
Featured image courtesy The Wire/Ishara K The topic of international involvement in Sri Lanka’s accountability process, specifically the participation of foreign judges, is controversial and hotly contested. The UNHRC resolution, co-sponsored by…
Rajapaksa’s Retreat: Temporary Truce or Political Imposture?
Photography courtesy The active politician is a creator, an initiator: but he is neither creates from nothing nor does he move in the turbid void of his own desires and dreams.…
Dismal failure of the judiciary ends up with people’s demand for hybrid justice mechanism
Featured image courtesy AsianTribune In the co-sponsored UN Resolution (A/HRC/RES/30/1) adopted on 01st October 2015, the government conceded that that people of Sri Lanka have no trust and confidence in the justice…
Good Governance and Political Will
Photograph: ISHARA S.KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images via “Error is cowardice…” Nietzsche () The military is a microcosm of the society it comes from. Lankan society has been experiencing a ceaseless wave of violent crime…
Who are “war heroes”?
Featured image courtesy DNAIndia We daily read and often hear of “war heroes”, and of our duty from protect them from any charges of misconduct. This is one of the few issues…
Paranagama Report: Presidential Commission of Inquiry Into Complaints of Abductions And Disappearances
Picture courtesy Tamil Guardian The soft copy of the Report from the Presidential Commission of Inquiry Into Complaints of Abductions And Disappearances chaired by Maxwell Paranagama is now available online. “The Darusman Report……
Sri Lankan Parliament and the UNHRC Resolution: Will Justice Prevail Over Politics?
Picture courtesy Foreign Policy – South Asia. “.” – Arthur Schopenhauer “.” ― Thomas Hardy On October 20, 2015, the Sri Lankan Parliament will debate the United Nations Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) resolution on…
THE GENEVA RESOLUTION AND POLITICS: A NOTE OF CAUTION
Photo courtesy The recent Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka is a remarkable document. Crafted in the immediate aftermath of the devastating OISL Report on Sri Lanka whose central recommendation was…
University Academics Appeal to the Authorities Regarding the UN Human Rights Council Resolution on Sri Lanka
Photo via TO: H.E PRESIDENT MAITHRIPALA SIRISENA HON. RANIL WICKRAMASINGHE, PRIME MINISTER HON. MANGALA SAMARAWEERA, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS HON R. SAMPANTHAN, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION PRINCE ZEID BIN RA’AD, UN…
Why do ‘Hybrids’ oppose the Hybrid Court?
Photo courtesy SBS Sri Lankans as individuals and as members of diverse ethnic groups are cultural, economic, and political hybrids. They are receptive to hybridity in anything and everything they do, without…
“Hybrid” war crimes probe: No political will even for own domestic probe
Photo courtesy Al Jazeera “Don’t judge us on broken promises of the past government.” Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera told the 30 Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 14…
