• Any action aimed at the protection and promotion of human rights in a country must have the consent of the country concerned

By Easwaran Rutnam

 Sri Lanka has told the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) not to interfere in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

In a statement during the General Debate at the 48th Session of the UNHRC in Geneva, the Sri Lanka Government said that in discharging their functions the UNHRC and the OHCHR should not overstep the mandates laid out in UNGA resolutions 60/251 and 48/141 respectively. 

“In this context we hold that the UN General Assembly never authorized the UNHRC to assign to any party, or the OHCHR to carry out, tasks such as the collection of criminal evidence for use in judicial proceedings,” the Sri Lankan Government said. 

Sri Lanka noted that the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign states is the very bedrock on which the international order is founded. 

As such, Sri Lanka said that external forces should not seek to interfere in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, which are integral parts of the People’s Republic of China. 

The Sri Lanka delegation in Geneva also noted with alarm that the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Venezuela, continues to cause death, pain and suffering to the Venezuelan people. 

“We deplore the fact that supplies of food and essential medicines, have been blocked even during the Covid-19 pandemic due to the freezing of Venezuelan assets abroad. We call for the lifting of such restrictions on Venezuela,” Sri Lanka said.  

Sri Lanka is of the view that any action aimed at the protection and promotion of human rights in a country must have the consent of the country concerned.  The Sri Lanka Government also called on the Council to recognize the action taken by Nicaragua to respect and promote human rights over the years and to engage in a positive dialogue with the government of Nicaragua.