As expected, Cuba’s seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council has already become an obstacle to the process of investigation and recognition of gross human rights offenses. Yesterday Cuba succeeded in blocking debate on abuses in Sri Lanka, which many countries have pushed for after the extreme violence that rocked the country earlier this month. As the Sri Lankan government declared an end to the 25-year civil war against the Tamil Tiger rebels, the military closed off a conflict zone, driving hundreds of thousands of civilians from their homes and killing thousands of people cornered at the coast. It is not clear how many unarmed civilians may have been killed in the conflict, and human rights monitors from the United Nations have never been allowed to deploy in the country.
Several EU countries (e.g. France, Britain, Germany) called for an investigation into possible war crimes during the conflict, and indeed, the UN Human Rights Chief wondered whether the area might have become a “killing field.” Sri Lanka put forth a written statement of the situation in the country at the request of the UN Human Rights Council, and included mentions of human rights abuses committed by Tamil Tigers but none by the military. This seemed too convenient to many EU countries, including Germany and Switzerland, but Cuba retorted, calling the European countries “arrogant” for trying to completely rewrite the Sri Lankan text.
EU countries (and the United States) might not have their hands clean in terms of human rights, as some have pointed out in this case, but that is no reason to allow abuses in yet another country—or to avoid investigating whether they are occuring. And Cuba, meanwhile, is revealing yet again its unwillingness to make a high priority of human rights.
7 Comments So Far»
Why blame Cuba? Did they sell guns to the Sri Lankan government?
You haven’t allowed the Cuban position to even be considered in your blog. Why not allow it to be seen and read by your readers?
Sri Lanka needs the solidary support and cooperation of the IC to rebuilt
Thursday, May 28, 2009 Leave a Comment
http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2009/05/sri-lanka-needs-solidary-support-and.html
Statemnet by Ambassador Juan Antonio, permanent representative of Cuba at UNHRC
(May 29, Geneva, Sri Lanka Guardian) At the outset allow me to extend my appreciation for the statement of the Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights of Sri Lanka, Mr. Mahinda Samarasinghe, whose presence in this special session evidences the constant will of Sri Lanka of exchanging with the international community, the importance Sri Lanka attaches to the Human Rights Council, of which it was a founding member, as well as the commitment of the country in this regard.
Let me also pay tribute to Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleka, who I consider to be a tireless champion in defense of justice and principles in the framework of this Council. A prominent intellectual and patriot, for whom dialogue with others and honesty constitute basic premises when approaching any situation regarding human rights, no matter its complexity.
Cuba did not support the call for this special session.
We did not do it because we saw it as an attempt by some former colonial metropolises to single out and stigmatize a small developing country, victim of an internal conflict that has lasted for years and devastated the nation, reduced its possibilities for development and caused the death of thousands of people. A conflict that was not exempt from terrorist acts, that Cuba, a country that has been a victim of terrorism for more than 50 years, are condemnable from all points of view.
In addition to this, the process that led to the call for this special session brought about the reset of the tarnished methods and practices of the defenestrated Commission, which are incompatible with the new working culture that should be promoted by the Council on Human Rights.
The fact of not holding talks with everyone since the beginning about the call for a special session, double standards, pressures in Capitals to get a signature, the secrecy and lack of transparency, are some of the vices that we hope will not be repeated in the future when tackling complex situations that require sensitivity and constructive atmosphere.
Ensuring an approach based on good faith dialogue and cooperation, and not resorting to the old practices of imposition, selectivity and politicization, is vital for the success of the Human Rights Council. In fact, and I should say it clearly, the proponents of this special session imposed an approach of confrontation that has divided the Council, closing the door to other initiatives and proposals few days before the inauguration of the 11th regular session of the Council.
By the way, it has not escaped our attention the statement delivered by the Independent Expert on extreme poverty, who speaking apparently on behalf of all special procedures made a number of allegations. I wonder how such kind statements are drafted agreed, and if they are compatible with the Code of Conduct.
Cuba is a co-sponsor of draft resolution L.1, entitled “Assistance to Sri Lanka in the promotion and protection of human rights”, submitted by Sri Lanka in an additional expression of openness, cooperation and commitment with the Human Rights Council.
L.1 document gets off the hackneyed path of cold, condemnatory and imposition-like languages, and goes through the path of good faith cooperation and full involvement of the concerned State, while not neglecting the main concerns on the situation in the country, which have been recognized by the Government itself.
L.1 document tackles, among other elements, the situation of the internally displaced persons and the need to provide assistance to the people affected by the conflict, including the access to basic rights such as food, sanitation, health care and safe drinking water. It also includes the rehabilitation of former child soldiers into society, the cooperation with the mechanisms of the United Nations and other international organizations, and the issue of a political solution of national reconciliation.
After more than 25 years of internal conflict, Sri Lanka needs the solidary support and cooperation of the international community (IC) to rebuilt its country and fight against poverty and underdevelopment. L.1 emphasizes on this aspect.
The difference between L.1 and L.2 is very simple. The first one is based on cooperation and constructive dialogue. It captures a comprehensive and cross-regional new vision on how this Council should operate. The second one is the same inquisitorial look of those that do not accept the new realities of the world in which we live. The decision is therefore very simple: either we go back to the past, or we better build all together a new vision of future.
Cuba invites all members of the Council, in particular developing and non-aligned countries, to unequivocally support L.1.
In order to conclude, let me reaffirm our conviction that the encouragement and development of a genuine international cooperation, based on the respect for the sovereign equality of all States and on the principles of universality, objectivity and non-selectivity, constitute the only possible way to effectively for progressing in the promotion and protection of all human rights for all.
-Sri Lanka Guardian
Maybe the council should investigate about Gitmo, Abu Grahib and the rest of Iraq, and the responsability of several UE countries about the CIA’s flights, don’t you think so? The point is not to be the leaders of the world trying to find the straw into the others eyes and not the tree into our own eye.
I entirely agree with you, with the Cuban representative to the UN Human Rights Council, and with others on this issue. The United States and the EU have committed gross offenses and have not had to face similar justice to what they demand of Sri Lanka. This is unacceptable.
With respect to Walter’s comment and yours, however, my further opinion (and what is suggested in this post, I believe) is that finger-pointing should not replace some sort of review of human rights and observance of international law. Although Sri Lanka’s report was commendable in some ways (see Walter Lippmann’s comment), it had holes, and filling those holes is not about this country or that country being right or wrong, but about ensuring the safety and protection of civilians (human beings) in those countries.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I’ll post it immediately where it is more accessible to readers.
The ambassador’s statement soley shows the great gamble that is going on about the Indian Ocean. And sadly Cuba, like Bolivia and Nicaragua, sided with China in this gamgle, lika a poodle following its trail of stench of piss - with total disregard to what has been achieved in the Tamil struggle for liberation and what it stands for and the way the memory about it actually was bombed out of the minds of the Tamil population by the Srilankan forces. If it was really concerned about old colonial Europe it could have tabled its own resolution, but it didn’t. At the end it endorsed mass murder and in fact genocide. I wonder, if Cuba had rejected an inquiry into Guatemalean forced disappearences, scorched earth warfare and genocide against the Mayans as an interference in internal affairs. Or how it described the villagisation of the Kikuyu by the British in the Mau Mau revolt. All of which is happening in Sri Lanka at the moment very effectively. Basically Cuba is trying to build its socialism on the back of other oppressed people, on the destruction of others freedom struggles in siding with a neo-colonial, in fact fascist, state and even letting its Ambassador Dayatillake, who is openly condoning that state tarror tactics, write in the Granma, the mouthpiece of Cubas communist party. That is building national socialism, which in fact is not socialism at all.
It’s arrogance of believing to be a reference of revolutionary spirit to any progressive movement is shown most preposterously by the fact, that while it condones the killing of 20.000 Tamils and internment of 300.000 more fighting for freedom and in fact for socialism, it wants people to support 5!!! Cubans languishing in US jails.
Cuba killed Che Guevara again…
Yes you people had killed Che Guevara again by supporting Sri Lankas war without witness against innocent Tamil people. None of the US or European countries may know the real pain of freedom but you people fought with Che Guevara against US atrocity, now you support Sri Lanka which has done a second largest genocide next to Nazi. These people (Tamil Liberation Group) followed Che’s foot steep against raciest Sri Lanka.
I don’t know how the very basic ideology of Che is lost in Cuba…. Is Fidel Castro alive?
Ho God Please send Che again to this world…..
We tamils in tamil nadu, a state in India are greatly dissappointed with cuba’s stand of supporting the genocide srilankan government. The tamil people in srilanka are fighting for their basic rights, equal treatment with majority sinhalese people. Tamils are always support cuba in their fight against the imperialistic America. But now we feel we are betrayed by the cuban government whose policies are pro-oppressed. Please change your policy. Support the tamils fight. Please look back your roots.
1 Pingback & Trackback
Leave Comments Below»