CHOGM2013 - Sri Lanka Please consider the following: 1. a.

We conclude that continuing evidence of serious human rights abuses in Sri Lanka shows that the Commonwealth's decision to hold the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo was wrong. We are impressed by the clear and forthright stance taken by the Canadian Prime Minister, who has said he would attend the Meeting only if human rights were improved. The UK Prime Minister should publicly state his unwillingness to attend the meeting unless he receives convincing and independently-verified evidence of substantial and sustainable improvements in human and political rights in Sri Lanka. . Sir Malcolm Rifkind was among those who expressed concern at the actions of a number of countries that had opposed the idea of a Commissioner for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights. He said that Sri Lanka was "the obvious case in point Foreign Affairs Committee - Fourth Report: The role and future of the Commonwealth, 15 November 2012, http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmfaff/114/11407.htm b. To Sustain the Commonwealth Commitment to Human Dignity:Reconsider the Award of the 2013 CHOGM to Sri Lanka, Professor James Manor, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, October 2011 ://www.commonwealthadvisorybureau.org/uploads/media/Opinion_Oct11_James.pdf

2.HR violations in Sri Lanka ignored by the Commonwealth: ^Philip Alston, Human Rights Council, Geneva, 3 June 2008: ''In 2005 I sounded the alarm. I said that Sri Lanka was on the verge of a major crisis'' ^Philip Alston, UN General Assembly, Third Committee, 25 October 2007, ''I warned this Assembly last year of an impending crisis in Sri Lanka.'' ^Prof Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, 27 March 2006: The human rights capacity of the United Nations Country Team should be expanded immediately, pending the creation of a broader monitoring mechanism. CMAG didn't make any comment on, leave alone condemn, Sri Lanka during the period Prof Alston had been raising his voice on HR violations. On the contrary: Sri Lanka in CMAG: 2003--2008: ''Two years ago in 2007 at Kampala, the heads of government pledged to end impunity for perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Throughout 2008 and most of 2009, numerous allegations of serious international humanitarian law violations were made against Sri Lanka, and serious doubts were raised about the way the country had conducted its campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Yet despite these doubts the country continued to sit as a CMAG member for a third consecutive term against the decision of the 1999 CHOGM in Durban that countries should be allowed to sit on CMAG for only two consecutive terms'' - Promises, Promises, R. Iniyan Ilango, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative Newsletter, Autumn 2009, http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/nl/newsletter_autumn_2009/newsletter_autum n_2009.pdf

3. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL'S PANEL OF EXPERTS ON ACCOUNTABILITY IN SRI LANKA (31 March 2011): '' The final months of the war are a grave assault on the entire regime of international law. .... The Government subjected victims and survivors of the conflict to further deprivation and suffering after they left the conflict zone http://www.un.org/News/dh/infocus/Sri_Lanka/POE_Report_Full.pdf

The UNs failure to adequately respond to events like those that occurred in Sri Lanka should not happen again - REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERALS INTERNAL REVIEW PANEL ON UNITED NATIONS ACTION IN SRI LANKA, November 2012, http://www.un.org/News/dh/infocus/Sri_Lanka/The_Internal_Review_Panel_report_on_Sri_Lanka. pdf

4. i. Post-war Atrocities in Sri Lanka: ^No war, no peace: the denial of minority rights and justice in Sri Lanka, Report by Minority Rights Group International, 19 January 2011, http://www.minorityrights.org/10458/reports/no-war-nopeace-the-denial-of-minority-rights-and-justice-in-sri-lanka.html ^An Ideology of Reconciliation Cannot be Built Without Basic Ingredients of Democracy and Rule of Law, Dr. Deepika Udagama (Head, Department of Law, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka), 15 August 2012, http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/9627#more-9627 ^ ''Conflict-affected areas remain highly militarised, which has made progress towards achieving durable solutions more difficult'' Sri Lanka: A hidden displacement crisis, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, 31 October 2012, http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Full%20Report_1116.pdf ii. Commonwealth Secretary General's untowardness: ^ Leaked document obtained by the Guardian shows staff told by secretary general it is not their job to speak out against abuses - Commonwealth has abandoned human rights commitment leaked memo, 8 October 2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2010/oct/08/commonwealthhuman-rights-leaked-document ^ I dont think there is a deficit in democracy in Sri Lanka. Mr. Sharma said it was his intention and hope that as many heads of government as possible would attend the meeting(referring to CHOGM2013).' - No deficit of democracy in SL Sharma, 13 September 2012, http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/21877-no-deficit-of-democracy-in-sl-sharma.html

5. ''.......To the Secretariat and Member States of the Commonwealth: Insist that the Sri Lankan government take the actions listed in recommendation 14 above, and agree that in the event it fails to do so, the October 2013 Commonwealth heads of government meeting will be moved from Colombo to an alternative location'' - Sri Lanka: Tamil Politics and the Quest for a Political Solution, International Crisis Group, 20 November 2012