Sri Lanka: UN rapporteur denounces acts of torture with impunity

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A UN report points to the lack of respect for human rights in Sri Lanka. REUTERS / Dinuka Liyanawatte

UN rapporteur for Sri Lanka Ben Emmerson warns of serious human rights violations in the country. Three years after the arrival of a new government promising progress in the area of ​​justice, reforms have stalled.

" Impunity is always the rule for the perpetrators of these tortures, which have now become a routine, " says rapporteur Ben Emmerson. The British lawyer traveled to Sri Lanka to measure progress on justice reforms. He met with members of the government, the military, the prison staff and his report is clear: " There are countless people victims of gross miscarriages of justice resulting from the law of prevention of terrorism, " he said. .

Among the commitments that the government has not kept: the repeal of this law on the prevention of terrorism. An extremely repressive text that has contributed to " many of the human rights violations committed during and after the conflict in Sri Lanka ," reports Ben Emmerson.

Tamil community stigmatized

Ben Emmerson points out that the Tamil community is particularly " stigmatized " and feels deprived of their rights. The rapporteur listened to a number of testimonies on the cruelty and brutality of torture methods. Prisoners undergo genital mutilation, beatings or drowning attempts. 81 of them testify to having been detained between 5 and 10 years without being entitled to a judgment. And they say they were forced to sign documents in a language they did not understand.

For its part, the Sri Lankan government assures that it does not condone these acts of torture and entrusted the investigation to an independent commission on human rights.