19 March, 2024

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OHCHR Conducts Three Commissions Of Inquiries Including Sri Lanka: Human Rights Chief Zeid

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights has yesterday said that during the reporting period OHCHR (between August 2013 and July 2014) was assisting or conducting three Commissions of Inquiry or mandated investigations – on the Syrian Arab Republic, Central African Republic and Sri Lanka – with three more soon to become operational, on Eritrea, the occupied Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem, and Iraq.

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein

Addressing the General Assembly’s main body dealing with social, humanitarian, and cultural issues (Third Committee), UN High Commissioners for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, said the world is currently facing “deepening turmoil” amid “biting constraints” of funding.

The High Commissioner presented a report on the work of his Office (OHCHR) between August 2013 and July 2014, under his predecessor, Navi Pillay.

“From the relentless slaughter in Syria and its spill-over to a new wave of barbarity in Iraq; from the deplorable conflict in Ukraine to the entirely avoidable bloodshed in South Sudan – and…the smouldering spread of Ebola – 2013-2014 was a year of devastating impact on human rights,” Zeid said.

Moreover, a “toxic tide” of discrimination and xenophobia has undermined the rights of people in several States. The right to development has been threatened by austerity policies that disproportionately burden the poor. Migrants have continued to endure appalling suffering, with deadly events at sea. And women continue to be violently attacked in many countries.

“If, despite all the power and authority at its disposal, the future of a Government hangs on a tweet, a street protest or a helpful report to an NGO [non-governmental organization] or UN agency, then that Government is in far deeper trouble than it believes. For it has forgotten the fundamental principle that the State is the servant of its people – not the other way round,” said Zeid.

During the period covered by the report, OHCHR conducted three monitoring missions to Mali, in the midst of the crisis; rapidly deployed a comprehensive human rights monitoring mission to Ukraine; issued public reports on human rights developments in Mali, Ukraine and Iraq; deployed a team to the Philippines to provide advice on key human rights responses in the aftermath of the typhoon; and took part in the training, planning, review and reconfiguration of United Nations peace missions – most recently in the Central African Republic.

In fact, OHCHR personnel were the first UN staff to arrive in conflict areas in Ukraine, in Mali and in Kyrgyzstan, as well as several remote areas of the Central African Republic following the outbreak of the current conflicts, Zeid said.

As of July, the Office supported 68 human rights field presences, comprising 13 stand-alone country offices; 12 regional offices; human rights components in 14 United Nations peace missions; and 29 human rights advisers.

As detailed in the report, OHCHR has provided technical assistance to dozens of countries on a very wide range of issues, spanning our six thematic and cross-cutting priorities – discrimination; the rule of law and ending impunity; poverty; violence; continuing efforts to improve international human rights mechanisms; and widening the democratic space – as well as a cross-cutting theme, migration.

OHCHR’s work with the Human Rights Council has included assistance with panels and reports on issues such as privacy in the digital age; the use of armed drones; and sexual orientation. OHCHR has also supported the work of the Council’s Universal Periodic Review.

“When I took up my mandate as High Commissioner for Human Rights last month, I was startled to discover that all the extensive work of this Office is achieved despite funding shortfalls that burden the Office with significant capacity deficits,” said the High-Commissioner.

And the workload is only increasing, he added, underscoring the growing number of Special Procedures mandates, as well as the Commissions of Inquiry and fact-finding missions mandated by the Human Rights Council and the Security Council. At the end of July, there were 52 mandates and 73 mandate holders, including 38 thematic mandates and 14 country mandates.

OHCHR was also assisting or conducting three Commissions of Inquiry or mandated investigations – on the Syrian Arab Republic, Central African Republic and Sri Lanka – with three more soon to become operational, on Eritrea, the occupied Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem, and Iraq.

One of the UN pillars, human rights only receives only a fraction of the Organization’s resources. For the 2014-2015 biennium, $173.5 million was allocated to OHCHR – 87% less than the allocation to the peace and security pillar, and 84 per cent less than the allocation to development.

“This is not sustainable,” Zeid said.

“When human rights go wrong – when violations and abuses generate explosive crises and conflicts – the cost in bloodshed, in wrecked economies and humanitarian aid is titanic,” he added, urging the world to enable his Office not only with the capacity to detect and alert to violations, but to ensure that the “alarm bells” are followed by swift action.

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Latest comments

  • 6
    21

    A mere mention of sri lanka is not news but terrorist attack on Canada is, which is not reported in CT.

    • 21
      5

      This is a SRI LANKAN site nuisense.

      If you want to find out about the Canadian terror attack I suggest the following,

      cnn.com

      bbc.com

      • 5
        20

        rr,
        Are you kidding me? Show me a single news item of what Subramanian Swamy of India said/says about the separatist/terrorist Tamils of Sri Lanka. Is it because “this is a SRI LANKAN site” too??

        • 15
          4

          When somebody more important than Swamy talks I am sure they will include it LOL

          CT will include Swamy when he manages to win a seat ROFL

          • 7
            1

            “When somebody more important than Swamy talks I am sure they will include it”

            Swamy came across well when he declared TNA needed ‘permission’ from Mahinda to have meeting with Modi before they all ignored him and met up in Delhi anyway. His next hilarious statement was that India should award Bharat Ratna to Mahinda as if Modi is going to be that dumb and needlessly anger his own massive Tamil population in South India.

          • 3
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            Separatist Tamils better consider him important if depending on India’s help! Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi are dead horses.

            • 5
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              Euse,

              It is conspicuous that you have run out of things to say! When one stands on a flimsy platform, it is inevitable one experiences wobbles! The investigation will conclude and truth will be established. The LTTE sympathisers must face the crimes LTTE committed on it’s own people as well as on the Army. Similarly, GOSL must face and be accountable for the crimes that they committed. Truth is the solid platform on which a true reconciliation can be fashioned. Only a zealotry individual with hatred will disagree with this situation! Are you such a person?

              • 3
                9

                Is your solid platform based on asylum seeker and terror funding diaspora words?
                Good luck!

                • 5
                  2

                  Eusense writes: “Is your solid platform based on asylum seeker and terror funding diaspora words?”

                  Your ability to read and understand english is well demonstrated here. When ‘Burning Issue’ says “LTTE sympathisers must face the crimes LTTE committed on it’s own people as well as on the Army” please tell me what magnificent thought processes went through your head to conclude that truth and reconciliation will be exclusively based on what the ‘terror funding’ diaspora wants? For the last time, a UN investigation is looking at BOTH sides and will be critical on BOTH sides and will suggest punishment for BOTH sides. See how I have helped you understand by using CAPS.

                  Also I enjoy the way Eusense casually dismisses overseas Tamils as useless asylum seekers or terror merchants because as we know there cannot possibly exist any overseas Tamil who went abroad as skilled migrants or disagreed with Prabhakaran’s actions like child recruitment, suicide bombing or helping Mahinda come to power in 2005 by stopping northern Tamils from voting in presidential election.

                  • 3
                    4

                    YR,
                    I just asked for a simple question from Burning issue. I needed only a “yes” or “no” answer!

            • 3
              3

              Unless you too are a separatist tiger, I would let the terrorists worry about the that.

              In the meantime, you could email

              colombotelegraph@gmail.com

              and voice your protest over the non-inclusion of the likes of Swami.

              • 2
                3

                RR,
                Thanks for the E mail address. They are busy trying to unblock their web site in Sri Lanka.

          • 3
            1

            See how Sri Lankan tax payers money is being wasted by the magic man Cabral.

            http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/lobbying-contracts/221722-sri-lanka-hires-up-in-washington-amid-war-crimes-probe

            • 2
              1

              srilal

              Could you explain to Nuisance what living Sinhala/buddhism means to the people.

              Here is an audio visual aid to teach Sinhala/Buddhism as practiced in this thrice blessed island.

              http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2kkZfb5uM0

              I am told this is not a Channel 4 production.

              • 3
                1

                NV ,

                Honestly i never read any comments from any of these “Regime paid ” stooges , it’s like reading Dayan’s gibberish , so no thanks !

                PS: i never miss to read your comments NV , keep up good work.

        • 6
          2

          and porikki Subs Swamy says it in public `why isn’t anyone talking about Sonia Gandhi $2billion (nazi masons daughter)`
          … makes sequence doesn’t it??

        • 0
          0

          Swami is an idiot.
          No one takes him seriously other than Percy Mahendran and Nandasena Kotabayya.

          Swami is an ‘Andare’ in Indian politics.
          Our own joker Mervin is 100 times better than that GaySwami.

      • 6
        6

        CT is a site for sulking supporters of Tamil Terrorists to give them cosolation for the Humiliating Defeat handed in May 2009. CT gives hope to losers, thugs, scumbags in diaspora that there is going to be retribution for the architechts of a magnificient victory. Keep Dreaming!

        • 3
          1

          “CT gives hope to losers, thugs, scumbags in diaspora that there is going to be retribution for the architechts of a magnificient victory. Keep Dreaming!”

          Exactly, scumbag diaspora have not done anything against the architects of a ‘magnificent’ victory and have certainly not contributed to getting Western-led United Nations investigation underway in the space of 5 years.

          • 1
            1

            Exactly, most of those diasporados don’t contribute. They only suck whatever they can from host countries, like parasites. The West will prestend they are doing something. If they cared they would have done something when Terrorist-led diaporados were screaming in many capitals, fast until death parties (with hamburgers) to save their dumb witted leaders, wouldn’t they? The architechts of the magnificient victory are not going to be affected by investigations, Western-led or UN-led. The scumbags are dreaming! They have a nuisance value only, and will soon be dumped by the West and forgotten.

            • 0
              0

              “fast until death parties (with hamburgers) “

              Haha do you even read the news? The British newspapers (Daily Mail and Sun) had to pay almost £80,000 in damages in 2010 over false allegations that Parameswaran Subramanyam secretly sustained himself with hamburgers during his protest fast. But don’t let things like basic facts stop you from your mad ranting

              “and will soon be dumped by the West and forgotten”

              Are you hoping Mahinda will be increasing the money he pays to western lobby firms to make this dream a reality? Because these western nations obviously need the cash injection from third world banana republics to sustain their economies.

            • 3
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              Lal loo

              Why do Sinhala/Buddhist lie, plagiarise and believe in their own myth?

              “The West will prestend they are doing something. If they cared they would have done something when Terrorist-led diaporados were screaming in many capitals, fast until death parties (with hamburgers) to save their dumb witted leaders, wouldn’t they?”

              Here is the rest of the Hamburger story of which Daily Noise would have ignored in order to please the stupid readership:

              29 July 2010 Last updated at 14:49

              Tamil hunger striker wins damages over burger claims

              A Tamil refugee hunger striker has accepted £77,500 in damages over newspaper reports he secretly ate burgers during his protest.

              The articles in the Daily Mail and The Sun struck at the heart of Parameswaran Subramanyam’s integrity and achievement, the High Court was told.

              He began his 23-day protest outside the Houses of Parliament on 7 April 2009, in a bid to raise awareness of the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils.

              The newspapers have apologised.

              Mr Subramanyam was treated in hospital for five nights after ending his hunger strike.

              Six months later, the Daily Mail and The Sun ran stories which reported claims that specialist monitoring equipment had caught Mr Subramanyam secretly eating McDonald’s burgers and that he had caused the police to waste a fortune in public money.

              Mr Subramanyam’s solicitor Magnus Boyd told Mr Justice Eady said the allegations were “entirely false”, which both newspapers now accepted.

              The Metropolitan Police superintendent who was in charge of the operation in Parliament Square confirmed that there was no police surveillance team using “specialist monitoring equipment” and that no video evidence existed.

              Victoria Jolliffe, counsel for News Group Newspapers and Associated Newspapers, said they withdrew all the allegations and apologised sincerely and unreservedly for the hurt and distress caused.

              “The Sun has agreed to pay £30,000 in compensation and the Daily Mail will pay £47,500,” Mr Boyd told the BBC.

              Jump media playerMedia player helpOut of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
              Ms Jolliffe said that Associated published the article – upon which News Group’s article was then based – in good faith based on information that, at the time, was understood to be reliable.

              Afterwards, Mr Subramanyam said: “The past eight months have been an unbearable strain on my life, to the extent that at times I have even contemplated taking my own life.

              “As a result of the lies that the newspapers published about me, and through no fault of my own, I have lost friends, been shunned by family members and completely ostracised from the Tamil community.

              “I felt I had a responsibility to all those who had supported me during the hunger strike, and were sullied by association with me, to take legal action against both newspapers to prove that the allegations that were published were false.”

              http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-10802491

              Lal loo

              Fact check before starting to expose your own ignorance on anything and everything that you want to type.

    • 0
      0

      eusense

      “A mere mention of sri lanka is not news but terrorist attack on Canada is, which is not reported in CT.:

      The Canadian Attack was by a Crazy Canadians.

      Well, Karl Marx and Stephen Weinberg were and are correct.
      “Religion is the Opium of the Masses” and ” It takes religion to make good people to do bad things”-Steven Weinberg.

      http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/25/us-canada-attacks-idUSKCN0IE0J820141025

      “The attackers, 32-year-old gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, described as troubled and drug-addicted, and 25-year-old Martin Rouleau, who drove over two soldiers, one of whom survived, both developed their radical views in Canada, police said.”

  • 7
    12

    Welcome!

    He should also conduct an inquiry in to his cousin the half-American king of Jordan’s oppression of his country.

    I bet he will not because the yankees are not pressing.

    This man a thief and an American Zionist agent.

    • 11
      7

      Bongso

      “This man a thief and an American Zionist agent.”

      How about Gota?

      Lets talk about home truth.

    • 4
      6

      Are you a MUSLIM and not a Zionist

    • 5
      2

      Showing Bongso’s true colors. When he cannot accept the message, he attacks the messenger in true Sri Lankan style. Call him a thief, attack his character, his personal life and even his religion. All are fair game to him. He refuses to believe that Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the new United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights was born into royalty, well connected and well educated. He is truly worthy of that high post to take over after Navi Pillay left her mark.

  • 4
    7

    B,P adaso;

    “This man a thief and an American Zionist agent”.

    Did He ran away with your Better H–f?????.

    how does you know he is a thief unless you did not find your Haamine.
    I think She Is So lucky to leave you!!!!!!.

    Do not worry, When we sell Sapugaskanda To Chinese, We will donate one more Million of Dollars to Bloody Palestinians’.

  • 8
    2

    Good to know that the mass murderers will have many more months of sleepless nights while the investigations are underway.

    Some personal attacks against the new UNHRC chief are surfacing as expected from genocide deniers but that is not going to deter the man from doing his job. That is excellent news.

  • 4
    7

    The OHCHR should also do an inquiry into the global problem of human rights abuses by the psychiatric profession. This is a problem around the world, including in the West. These human rights abuses include involuntary detention and forced drugging with toxic drugs in most countries, while the “diagnostic labels” lead to depression, suicide and stigma. The degree of abuse varies between nations and institutions but it is a global human rights problem of considerable magnitude.

    The WHO has predicted the “disease burden of mental illness” to increase globally over the next decades, but the WHO (part of the UN, as is the OHCHR) is in joint operations with the big drug companies to promote psychiatric drugs even more widely and for longer periods of time.

    One of the few senior academics who is warning about this is Professor Peter Gotzsche of Denmark, who is warning about psychiatric over-diagnosis and the toxicity of the drugs:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIIQVll7DYY

    • 5
      2

      Australian author Trevor Grant documents genocide of Eezham Tamils in new book. Not sure it has been released. Please read it. If you wish I can send you a copy to your parents address.

      • 1
        0

        Anpu,

        I will read the book if you send it to my parents’ place. But address it to me or my father will not share it with me.

  • 4
    3

    Dr Romesh,

    Again, you could not help yourself could you?

    Why are you trying to divert the discussion? What relevance “disease burden of mental illness” has got to do with OHCHR’s investigation of the alleged human rights violations and crimes against humanity committed by the both sides in May 2009? There are credible evidences exist warranting an investigation to establish the truth; what have you against it? What possible rational that you can put forward that will be inimical to the reconciliation process as a result of establishing the truth? What possible Bad will happen?

    • 2
      2

      Burning Issue,

      Note that I said “also”. I have nothing against the United Nations investigating human rights abuses in Sri Lanka, but they should also look with equal enthusiasm at human rights abuses in other countries (including Western countries).

      I have no doubt that psychiatric abuses occur in Sri Lanka, too. The application of labels of madness are frequently shaped by politics and religion. The drugs that are used are the same ones around the world (with more of the cheaper more toxic ones in the Third World). The LTTE also ran a psychiatric hospital whose practices should be investigated. There is a fine line between “assertive treatment” and torture.

      • 2
        2

        Dr. Ramesh,

        I have heard this kind of talk many times before from the likes of OTC! The Issue this that, this is a Sri lanka focused Internet medium inviting comments regarding the UN investigation of the alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. UN itself introspected it’s role in it. They vacated the war zone precipating the calamity that followed. It has not only have an moral obligation but also havea grater purpose to investigate and establish the truth in order to set example for future events. What you have done here is to distract the discussion as if to say that there are other pressing issues that warrant investigation first.

        I am sure that there are other areas where un needs to pay attention but to tacitly criticle of this investigation on the account of other issues is abhorrent and self-defeating. I would welcome if you were to say that, it is a good start, and UN needs extend this to the other areas. Instead you ostensibly diverting the focus of this forum!

  • 3
    3

    Mr. Price Zeid………… hey ! you can hire Darrusman. He knows how to prepare reports through remote control.

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