INTERVIEW: SRI LANKA

COUNTRY SPECIALIST FOR

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA

CHLOE HOGG

on 20 November, 2015 at 11:00

Jim McDonald is the Sri Lanka Country Specialist for Amnesty
International USA. He has testified before Congress on Sri Lanka on behalf
of AIUSA and has organized several campaigns on Sri Lanka by AIUSA
members. He joins us in this interview to discuss human rights in Sri Lanka,
the UN and Amnesty Internationals involvement there, and to suggest
ways for us to get involved by showing solidarity and taking action.

Q. What is the current state of human rights in Sri Lanka?

A. Since the election of President Sirisena this past January, the Sri Lankan
government has shown a new willingness to acknowledge past human
rights abuses and to commit to reforms. The government has taken some
steps to strengthen important institutions such as the National Human
Rights Commission, whose independence and impartiality had been
compromised by the previous government. The government has committed
to repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act which facilitated the use of
torture and arbitrary detention by the security forces. There has been
international attention given to human rights in Sri Lanka this year and the
government is responding to that pressure. If the Sri Lankan government
fulfills its promises, there could be long overdue progress for human rights
in the country.
Q. What work is Amnesty International doing in Sri Lanka?
A. Amnesty International continues to shine a light on human rights
violations in Sri Lanka, as we do elsewhere. We pressure the Sri Lankan
government to make good on its promises and we lobby other influential
governments to push for human rights reform in Sri Lanka. We support
human rights defenders and victims of abuses and their relatives by
mobilizing international solidarity; one example of that is our recent global
memorial project for relatives of the disappeared. To explain that project:
the Sri Lankan security forces and their agents have committed at least
80,000 enforced disappearances over the past 30 years. October 27 is

observed each year in Sri Lanka as the National Day of the Disappeared. To
support the relatives of the disappeared at the memorial service on October
27 this year, Amnesty activists around the world conducted candlelight
vigils and other solidarity actions. Photos of those actions were displayed at
the memorial service this year and have been widely shared on social
media.

In the photo: Prageeth Eknaligoda, Sri Lanka Flickr Photo Action

Q. What work is the UN currently doing regarding human rights in Sri
Lanka?
A. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recently
completed its investigation into war crimes and other abuses committed by
both sides during the final months of Sri Lankas civil war in 2008-2009. Its
report documented credible allegations of horrific crimes committed by
both the security forces and the opposition Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
The UN Human Rights Council used the report as a basis for a resolution it

passed on October 1 regarding Sri Lanka, in which the Council urged that
Sri Lankan government establish an accountability mechanism with
international participation in order to deal with those war crimes and other
abuses and to finally give the victims and their families truth and justice.
The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances is
currently visiting Sri Lanka now for the first time in 15 years. We hope their
visit will result in important recommendations for the government to
implement that will go a long way in terms of accountability, systemic
reform, and bringing the truth to the families affected.
Q.Considering the UN Declaration of Human Rights, and your
experience in the domain, do you think that there can be a globally
agreed-on definition of human rights and what they fundamentally
entail?
A. Well, the UN Declaration was drafted by representatives from different
legal and cultural backgrounds and was proclaimed by the UN General
Assembly in 1948 as a common standard of human rights goals for all
peoples and nations. The UN Charter states that one of the purposes of the
United Nations is to promote and encourage respect for human rights. The
goals in the UN Declaration of Human Rights have been embodied in
internationally binding treaties the International Covenant for Civil and
Political Rights and the International Covenant for Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights, which are now in effect and binding on those countries
which have ratified them. Sri Lanka is one of the countries that has ratified
those covenants. The US, unfortunately, has only ratified one of them.

Q. What role does cultural relativism have in these discussions and how do
you approach it in your work?
A. In my experience, those who raise arguments about cultural relativism

tend to be the apologists for those committing human rights abuses and
not the victims. The right to be free from torture or from enforced
disappearance, does not depend on ones cultural background. People from
widely varying cultures expect to be treated with respect and to be able to
raise their children in peace and dignity. It is not a cultural construct that
someone could be held in detention without trial. It is also important to note
that often the people making those cultural relativism arguments are in
positions of power. The people affected by human rights abuses look for
international solidarity and support. The idea that culture should excuse
their government never comes up. Ultimately, I ask: whose side are you on?
Because this is real; it is not an abstract theoretical discussion.

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Q. What do you suggest should be done by us (and the UN) to make

governments more accountable for their human rights violations?
A. International pressure is key. We pressure governments by publicizing
their abuses and calling on them to stop. We support human rights
defenders in those countries so they can carry out their extremely
important work, work that can include building domestic human rights
constituencies. We lobby influential actors, both other governments and
others who may have influence on the governments were targeting. And
we dont stop; the effort is continuous. Human rights violators love working
in the dark, and shining the light on them will continue to expose and
pressure them. We maintain the pressure until the governments provide
accountability for past violations and enact reforms to prevent future
abuses.

In the photo: Candle- Credit to Catching.Light

Q. How do you suggest that young people today get involved in protecting
global human rights?
A. As you might expect, the first thing Id suggest is to join Amnesty
International and participate in our campaigns. We work on many issues in
a large number of countries. If you have a passion for a particular issue, it
may be that Amnesty activists are already working on it and could use your
help. Talk to an experienced Amnesty member or an AI staffer to find out
more. We have a lot of work to do and we need your help. We need creative
activists to conduct hard-hitting media campaigns to raise awareness of
human rights violations and mobilize people to act against them. We need
strategic thinkers to help develop strategies to determine the most
effective ways of pressuring governments on behalf of human rights. Rather
than passively looking at their news feeds, we need people to feel mad and
educate themselves. Get up and get involved! And our human rights
campaigning doesnt come cheaply. To fund our research and campaigning,
we also need people committed to raising the funds we need for our work.
In addition, Jim encourages you to take action to support human rights in
Sri Lanka, to help the victims of human rights abuses finally get truth,

justice and reparations.

Follow this link to find the latest reports on Sri Lanka, and for the 2 online
letters and one photo action for Trinco Five Students and disappeared
journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda:http://www.amnestyusa.org/ourwork/countries/asia-and-the-pacific/sri-lanka
In top photo: Sri Lanka: The World is Watching You, from the No Fire Zone
film screening campaign.
In second photo: Jim McDonald speaking at the Get on the Bus for Human
Rights event.
Posted by Thavam