{"id":114742,"date":"2013-11-13T16:52:03","date_gmt":"2013-11-13T11:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=114742"},"modified":"2013-11-18T12:52:16","modified_gmt":"2013-11-18T07:22:16","slug":"all-cwealth-members-should-refuse-to-attend-chogm-until-visa-ban-is-lifted-cwealth-lawyers-association","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/all-cwealth-members-should-refuse-to-attend-chogm-until-visa-ban-is-lifted-cwealth-lawyers-association\/","title":{"rendered":"All C’wealth Members Should Refuse To Attend CHOGM Until Visa Ban Is Lifted – C’wealth Lawyers Association"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The\u00a0Commonwealth Lawyers Association wants all members of the Commonwealth to refuse to attend CHOGM until the visa ban of the\u00a0International Bar Association Human Rights Institute’s high-level delegation is lifted.<\/p>\n

Issuing a statement CLA says;\u00a0The CLA considers that all members of the Commonwealth should refuse to attend CHOGM until the visa ban is lifted and, further, that the BASL\/IBAHRI event should be allowed to proceed as originally planned without any further interference.<\/p>\n

We publish below the statement in full;<\/p>\n

Statement on Denied Entry to IBAHRI Delegation in Advance of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Gabriela<\/a>

Gabriela Knaul<\/p><\/div>\n

The Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) is dismayed and concerned that members of an International Bar Association Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) high-level delegation were denied entry into Sri Lanka on 7th November 2013. The delegation included the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Gabriela Knaul<\/span><\/a>, and the first UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Param Cumaraswamy. Entry was denied in spite of visas having been granted and in accordance with normal procedures.<\/p>\n

The CLA notes the statement issued<\/span><\/a> by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) on 9th November 2013 reiterating the fact that the delegation was due to travel to participate in a joint event co-hosted by the BASL and the IBAHRI entitled \u2018Making Commonwealth Values a Reality<\/span><\/a>: the Rule of Law and the Independence of the Legal Profession\u2019. The event was intended to facilitate discussion of the Commonwealth\u2019s fundamental values in relation to the legal profession and the Rule of Law more broadly. The CLA further notes that all of the arrangements for the event were handled by the BASL and the IBAHRI in accordance with the usual procedures.<\/p>\n

The CLA recalls an earlier joint Resolution on the Rule of Law and Judicial Independence in Sri Lanka that was issued by the CLA, together with the Commonwealth Legal and Education Association (CLEA) and the Commonwealth Magistrates\u2019 and Judges\u2019 Association (CMJA), in April 2013. The Resolution referred to previous concerns about the flawed impeachment process by which Chief Justice Bandaranayake was removed from the office of Chief Justice in defiance of the judgements of the highest courts in Sri Lanka. The Resolution called upon members of the Commonwealth to place Sri Lanka upon the Agenda of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group and to reconsider the holding of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).<\/p>\n

The CLA considers that all members of the Commonwealth should refuse to attend CHOGM until the visa ban is lifted and, further, that the BASL\/IBAHRI event should be allowed to proceed as originally planned without any further interference.<\/p>\n

The CLA remains ready to assist BASL in its efforts to maintain and secure the independence of the legal profession in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

Commonwealth Lawyers Association<\/p>\n

Related stories;<\/p>\n

Making Commonwealth Values A Reality<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Invitation By BASL & IBAHRI: Making Commonwealth Values A Reality<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Denying Visas To International Bar Delegation: Foreign Ministry Acting With Miscomprehension Of Facts \u2013 Bar Association<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Sri Lanka Denies Entry To International Bar Delegation For The Second Time, Ahead Of CHOGM<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":60468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1,6969,2375],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-news","category-popular-stories","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\nAll C'wealth Members Should Refuse To Attend CHOGM Until Visa Ban Is Lifted - C'wealth Lawyers Association - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/all-cwealth-members-should-refuse-to-attend-chogm-until-visa-ban-is-lifted-cwealth-lawyers-association\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"All C'wealth Members Should Refuse To Attend CHOGM Until Visa Ban Is Lifted - 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