UN war crimes resolution

 India Votes For Resolution Against Sri Lanka

The 47-member United Nations Human Rights Council(UNHRC) in Geneva adopted the resolution in the 19 session of the UNHRC against Sri Lanka on alleged war crimes on Thursday March 22,2012 with -
 24 countries voting in favour,
15 against and
eight abstaining.

The resolution urged Colombo to investigate alleged war crimes during the last stage of its military action against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).The resolution asked Colombo to present expeditiously a comprehensive action plan detailing the steps to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and to address the alleged violations of international law.

Tabling the resolution, the U.S. said Colombo was given three years to hold its own investigations into allegations of serious violations but given the lack of action it was appropriate that the Council be pushed to do so. “An enduring peace will be unsustainable without meaningful steps to foster national reconciliation and accountability.

Sri Lanka's Special Envoy on Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe rejected the resolution, saying it was “misconceived, unwarranted and ill-timed” embodying several “harmful” elements that violated important principles having adverse ramifications for his country and others.
 India also voted in favour of the US-backed resolution.

Sri Lanka 'War Crimes': Main Allegations

 

1) Civilian Deaths

In March 2009, the UN said it feared actions by both sides might amount to war crimes. The UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Navi Pillay described the level of civilian deaths as "truly shocking", and warned it could reach "catastrophic" levels.
The government was accused of repeatedly shelling safe zones set up to protect civilians. The rebels were accused of holding civilians as human shields and firing on those who tried to flee.

2)Conduct of War
Sri Lanka's government was accused of using heavy weaponry and shelled food distribution lines and near ICRC ships coming to pick up wounded civilians from beaches.
The report also alleges the forced recruitment of children by Tamil Tiger Rebels.

3)Hospital Shelled
The report accuses the government of "systematically" shelling hospitals

4)Extra-Judicial Killings
UK's Channel 4 News Video purported to show the extra-judicial killing of what were thought to be Tamil rebels.

5)Civilian Ordeal

People lived under constant gunfire, intense shelling and an acute shortage of water, food and medicine

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, "We don't want to infringe on Sri Lanka's sovereignty but our concerns should be expressed so Tamils get justice and dignity."

Welcoming India's vote in favour of the US-sponsored resolution before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa regretted that it had been “very indecisive on this very sensitive issue, which is an inherent emotive issue for Tamils all over the world.

Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy said, "It's a monumental blunder. India has shown that we don't care for our backyard. We became a junior partner and destroyed our independence."

Indian diplomat KC Singh said, "India has taken the right stand for the wrong reasons."

Sri Lanka will not abide by UNHRC resolution
"We had taken a decision not to abide by the resolution irrespective of the result", Sri Lanka's external affairs minister GL Peiris told reporters.
We would treat it as an interference in the sovereignty of the country, he said.
He said the countries that voted for Sri Lanka and abstained at voting had valued the country's principled stand