Human rights in Sri Lanka
The Petition of residents of Harrow West,
Declares that it has been reported that violent attacks on Muslims in the southern Sri Lanka town of Aluthgama beginning on 15 June resulted in the death of four Muslims, and injured more than 80, with many homes and businesses destroyed; further that the Petitioners believe that it is of particular concern that eyewitnesses have reported that the police stood by and refused to intervene during the violence; and further that international human rights organisations have called on the Sri Lankan authorities to fully investigate the attacks and identify those who incited the violence.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons takes action to raise concerns regarding the violent attacks on Muslims with the Sri Lankan authorities.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Mr Gareth Thomas, Official Report, 22 July 2014; Vol. 584, c. 1357 .]
[P001380]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, received 17 September 2014:
I thank the petitioners for raising this important issue in the House of Commons.
The British Government remain concerned at the recent attacks against minority religious groups in Sri Lanka, as my noble Friend, the former senior Minister of State, Baroness Warsi, made clear in Parliament on 2 July. Our high commissioner to Sri Lanka has raised our concerns with the Sri Lankan authorities over sectarian violence and tensions. We have urged the Sri Lankan authorities to take early action to promote peaceful co-existence between all communities, noting the importance of ensuring any acts of violence, intimidation or threats are thoroughly investigated and those responsible brought to justice. Following the violence, Sri Lankan Justice Minister and leader of the Sri Lankan Muslim Congress told the media that he was “outraged” that the “law and order machinery completely failed”.
The Sri Lankan President committed to bring to justice those responsible for incidents in Aluthgama. However, despite media reports of 124 arrests following the violence, we understand that no convictions have taken place, and that those taken into custody have subsequently been released. There are similar reports of impunity for those responsible for ad hoc crimes against members of religious minorities.
On 7 July, the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), Minister with responsibility for South Asia, met members of the Sri Lankan Muslim community resident in the UK whose family and friends were directly affected by the violence in order to discuss their concerns. On 18 July, officials met with the Sri Lankan high commissioner to the UK and urged the Sri Lankan Government to take action to address sectarian tensions, including by outlawing hate speech. The EU delegation has also released a statement in agreement with EU Heads of Mission in Sri Lanka condemning the violence and has called on the Sri Lankan Government to uphold law and order.
The UK was a main co-sponsor of a UN Human Rights Council resolution passed on 27 March which establishes an international investigation into allegations of violations of international law on both sides of Sri Lanka’s conflict. The resolution also expresses alarm at the significant surge in attacks against members of religious minorities in Sri Lanka, and calls upon the Sri Lankan Government to end continuing incidents of human rights violations and investigate all alleged attacks on members of religious minority groups and places of worship.
We hope that the Sri Lankan Government will as promised work to ensure that these events are comprehensively investigated and that those responsible are prosecuted. We will continue to urge the Sri Lankan Government to take action to prevent further attacks on minority religious groups, and promote enduring peace and reconciliation between all communities in Sri Lanka. We believe that this would help ensure Sri Lanka reaches its enormous potential as a strong and prosperous nation.