ASIA/SRI LANKA - Civil society: "Confidence in the hundred days of the new government's reforms"

Colombo (Agenzia Fides) - Request for "solid protection of human rights" in Sri Lanka and to "end the culture of impunity"; confidence in the "program of one hundred days of reforms" that place the rule of law and democratic governance at the center: is what a Forum of civil society organizations in Sri Lanka expresses, favorably commenting the beginnings of the new government of Maithripala Sirisena, who succeeded the government of Mahinda Rajapaksa.
In a note sent to Fides, the Forum calls on the government to a "paradigm shift", in order to eliminate "suspicion and mistrust of civil society organizations and human rights defenders", and initiate a phase of transition that ensures justice.
Civil society calls "the UN involvement in the process to establish responsibility for crimes", in line with international standards on human rights.
This is why "the relations of all the previous presidential Commissions on human rights violations are to be made public, and to release full information on missing persons".
The Forum concludes saying that these recommendations "are presented in a spirit of cooperation, in the belief that human rights defenders and the government of Sri Lanka share the common goal of strengthening the protection of human rights in the country, as the basis for its unity, peace and prosperity". (PA) (Agenzia Fides 13/02/2014)