U.S. Resolution Calls for End of “Forced Disappearances” in Sri Lanka
In a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives two leading lawmakers called for an end to enforced disappearances in Asia and the world, including China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Pakistan, November 19.Introduced by Congressmen Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), House Resolution 1231 also calls upon the United States to ratify the ‘International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.’
“These types of human rights abuses cannot go unanswered,” said Congressman Sherman, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who serves as the Ranking Member of Subcommittee on Asia and the former Chairman of the Subcommittee on International Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.
Considered a staunch ally of the Tamil lobby in the U.S., Sherman has a long history of promoting “Tamil autonomy” and in public statements has called for cutting security ties with Sri Lanka.
“We must speak out, work with our allies and demand accountability for these disappearances and other violations of human rights. As chair of the Sindh Caucus and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I have worked tirelessly on this issue; but unfortunately, we have seen a rise in enforced disappearances cases throughout the Asia region,” Sherman said.
“Enforced disappearances are a serious human rights violation in Asia and around the world,” said Congressman Raskin. “I’m proud to join my colleague Rep. Sherman in introducing our resolution to end this heinous crime, and support justice and accountability for victims and survivors of enforced disappearances, including those carried out against Sindh communities in Pakistan; Tamils and human rights activists in Sri Lanka; victims of the Suharto regime in Indonesia, and Uyghur Muslims in China suffering mass atrocities.
Highlights from the “Ending Enforced Disappearances in Asia and Globally” Resolution:
– calls for justice for victims of enforced disappearances and accountability for those who commit these crimes;
– calls for U.S. law enforcement to use all available legal and statutory tools to ensure that alleged perpetrators of enforced disappearances are held accountable in U.S. courts and to ensure that the United States is not a haven for human rights violators;
– urges all countries to abandon the unlawful practice of enforced disappearances;
– calls upon the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to continue to support transitional justice measures and initiatives to assist victims and survivors of enforced disappearances, including by supporting national, international, and hybrid judicial mechanisms to clarify the fate and whereabouts of the disappeared;
– urges the United States to sign and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance;
– and calls upon the Governments of China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Pakistan to bolster their response and accountability on this issue.
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