The Holocaust and Modern Day Genocide

Foreign Policy has an article by Andrew Stroehlein about what the Holocaust can't teach us about modern-day genocide.

I suspect too many people in the wider international community still only
recognize genocide in this one most specific sense. They are always looking for
Birkenau -- expecting industrialized killing rather than seeing genocide the way
it unfolds today. They ignore the evidence that in the right environment, simple
machetes can be just as effective as rail networks and gas chambers.

"Genocide" is too limiting a term in any case. In recent years,
governments have not necessarily been exterminating entire subgroups en masse
with crystal-clear intent. Yet some governments show no qualms about shelling
huge numbers of ethnic minority civilians trapped in confined war zones, as we
saw in Sri Lanka earlier this year. More common still are governments that kick
one ethnic group off its land and force the people into displacement camps where
they become permanent wards of international humanitarian agencies -- think
Darfur, for example, to mention just one place commonly labeled a "slow-motion
genocide."

Humanitarian Aid Updates

Sri Lanka is forcing international aid workers to leave under strict new visa rules, claiming that the aid workers were sympathetic to the defeated Tamil Tigers.

The US has pledged an additional $200 million in aid for those displaced from Pakistan's Swat Valley.

Post-Conflict Sri Lanka

On Bloggingheads, Mark Leon Goldberg of UN Dispatch and Matthew Lee of Inner City Press discuss the aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil war.

Sri Lanka Denies Times' Allegations About Civilian Deaths

Yesterday, I posted about an investigation by the Times that found that more than 20,000 Tamil civilians were killed during the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war. This number is three times higher than the government's official figure.

The government of Sri Lanka has responded by denying these allegations.

A senior official from Sri Lanka's Centre for National Security, Laksham Hullegalle said there had been no shelling or killing in the zone, and that the photographs were "totally unbelievable".

"The decision was taken by the government not to use any heavy weapons from the beginning of this month," he said.

"From that time onwards there was no heavy shelling."

Mr Hullegalle said there was a possibility the photos were fake and that there had been no corroborating evidence from civilians who fled the area and no bodies discovered.

The Permanent Secretary to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Palitha Kohona, also dismissed the report.

"I am bemused that The Times, like a jilted old woman, is continuing a bitter campaign against Sri Lanka based on unverified figures and unsubstantiated assertions," he said.

"The simple fact is that Sri Lanka eliminated a detestable terrorist group and in the process rescued over 250,000 hostages held as a human shield by the terrorists."

Human Rights and the War on Terror

The UN Dispatch blog has been reacting to the UN Human Rights Council's resolution praising the Sri Lankan government and condemning only the Tamil Tigers for conduct during the Sri Lankan civil war.

Mark Leon Goldberg is hopeful that American participation will improve the Human Rights Council's legitimacy. John Boonstra is skeptical though.

By perversely casting proponents of a commission of inquiry as "trying to undermine Sri Lanka's efforts in countering terrorism," Sri Lanka has created an utterly false dichotomy between combating terrorism and protecting human rights. Its unwillingness to have potential human rights violations investigated only casts doubt on its wartime conduct, rather than exonerating its actions at a stroke, as the government absurdly claims.

For the United States to make a difference in changing this dynamic on the Council, it goes without saying that it will have to accept and embrace what should be an uncontested truism: that effectively countering terrorism not only allows for, but in fact requires, wholehearted defense of human rights. This means, once again, fully renouncing torture and working to undo years of policy and rhetoric that make it little surprise where Sri Lanka's leaders incubated such a supreme self-confidence in their own war on terrorism.

UPDATE: The State Department held a roundtable discussion on strategies for US participation in the Human Rights Council. It was attended by representatives human rights NGOs and US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice. Vital Voices has a blog post about it; I'll post more information if I can find any.

"Hidden Massacre"

An investigation by The Times revealed that in the final phases of the Sri Lankan civil war, more than 20,000 Tamil civilians were killed. This number is three times the government's official figure and most of these deaths were the result of government shelling. The Times was able to establish this through aerial photographs, official documents, witness accounts and expert testimony.

The Sri Lankan authorities have insisted that their forces stopped using heavy weapons on April 27 and observed the no-fire zone where 100,000 Tamil men, women and children were sheltering. They have blamed all civilian casualties on Tamil Tiger rebels concealed among the civilians.

This makes the UN Human Rights Council unwillingness to investigate the Sri Lankan government even more outrageous.

UN Human Rights Council Praises Sri Lanka, Condemns Tamil Tigers

(UPDATED BELOW)

The UN Human Rights Council held a special session on Sri Lanka, and Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called for an independent investigation into possible war crimes committed by both sides during Sri Lanka's civil war. As Mark Leon Goldberg pointed out on UN Dispatch, "For that to happen, however, a simple majority of the 47 member council would have to approve. Unlike the security council, no country has a veto over this process. There is a lot riding on this vote. Both for the people of Sri Lanka and for the Human Rights Council itself."

So, in all, this meeting is an important test of the Human Rights Council. A few weeks ago it proved able to authorize an investigation of alleged human rights abuses in Gaza committed by Israel and Hamas during Operation Caste Lead. Should the council vote against action on Sri Lanka it opens itself to familiar accusations that there are double standards when it comes to Israel--which is a charge that may become more resonant should member states maintain that the situation in Sri Lanka is a wholly internal matter undeserving of the attention of the Human Rights Council.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened. Of the 47 members of the council, 29 voted for a resolution that called the conflict a "domestic" matter.

(More on criticism of the UN Human Rights Council.)

UPDATE: The UN Watch blog has a detailed chronology of the session. (The link hasn't been working so I'm posting the whole thing here.)

At the close of today’s special session to address the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka proposed an updated revised text of its self-congratulatory resolution. Though it incorporated some of the non-contentious proposals of the Swiss-EU draft, the resolution failed on a number of accounts.

The EU responded by proposing amendments that would express grave concern at the situation, call for the respect of international law, call on Sri Lanka to ensure “full, rapid and unimpeded access of humanitarian assistance,” and demand accountability and follow-up to the situation in Sri Lanka.

Cuba then took the floor to call for a “No-action” motion to prevent debate on the amendments. This motion is based on rule 117 of the General Assembly’s Rules of Procedure, which states that “A representative may at any time move the closure of the debate on the item under discussion.”

The ensuing vote on this motion passed with 22 in favor, 17 against, and 7 abstaining (Jordan did not vote). Voting no were the 6 EU members, along with Argentina, Bosnia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Mauritius, Mexico, South Korea, Switzerland. Abstaining were Azerbaijan, Brazil, Gabon, Nigeria, Senegal, Ukraine, and Zambia.

Switzerland then called for a vote on Sri Lanka’s text, which passed with 29 in favor (including Brazil and Uruguay), 12 against (the EU, Bosnia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and Switzerland), and 6 abstaining (Argentina, Gabon, Japan, Mauritius, South Korea, and Ukraine).

Just before the final vote, Sri Lanka made a shocking dig at the EU. It happened after Germany’s speech on behalf of the European Union when there was a problem with the speaker system. It was soon discovered that Germany had forgotten to turn off its microphone so the President of the Human Rights Council told Germany to do so. When the ambassador of Sri Lanka took the floor, he arrogantly said, “My headphones must have malfunctioned. For a moment I thought I heard the president tell Germany to turn off its megaphone, not its microphone.”

UN Human Rights Council's Special Session on Sri Lanka

Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, is calling for an independent investigation into possible war crimes committed by both sides during Sri Lanka's civil war. Her comments came during a special session of UN Human Rights Council.

From the High Commissioner's Website:

“The images of terrified and emaciated women, men and children fleeing the battle zone ought to be etched in our collective memory. They must spur us into action,” Pillay said in an opening address to the special session.

She said there were “strong reasons to believe” that both sides in the long conflict, the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), had “grossly disregarded the fundamental principle of the inviolability of civilians.”

“An independent and credible international investigation into recent events should be dispatched to ascertain the occurrence, nature and scale of violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as specific responsibilities.”

Pillay emphasized that victims and the survivors have a right to justice and remedies, and establishing the facts is crucial to set the record straight regarding the conduct of all parties in the conflict.

Independent human rights monitors and the media should be given “unfettered access to verify reports of serious violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law which have consequently surfaced in the course of the fighting,” she said.

The Special Procedures mandate holders of the Human Rights Council also recommended the establishment of “an effective mechanism to impartially inquire into all violations committed” throughout the conflict.

“A true reconciliation process requires an assessment of what has happened and must ensure accountability and an end to impunity,” said Magdalena Sepúlveda, Independent expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty, who delivered a joint statement to the special session on behalf of all Special Procedures mandate holders of the Human Rights Council.

The High Commissioner also echoed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call for immediate and unimpeded access to the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. “Unrestricted humanitarian aid will make the difference between life, illness or even death to many, and yet access for the UN and NGOs to the IDP camps continues to be hampered,” she said.

The Secretary-General, who visited Sri Lanka from 22 to 23 May, also underscored that “full transparency and full respect for human rights are essential” to the process of national recovery and reconciliation.

At the opening of the special session, Human Rights Council President Martin Uhomoibhi spoke of the “untold hardships” suffered by millions throughout this conflict and expressed hope that the special session would contribute towards the cause of peace in Sri Lanka.

By convening the session, the Human Rights Council sent “a message of readiness and willingness to work with the Government and people of Sri Lanka towards reconstruction and development,” he said.

The special session took place following a request by Germany on behalf 17 members of the Human Rights Council, including Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Mauritius, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Uruguay.

This is the eleventh special session of the Human Rights Council. Its previous special sessions concerned Lebanon, Darfur, Myanmar, the global food crisis, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the global economic and financial crises.

[Image: AP file photo from Voice of America story]

Rehabilitation for Sri Lankan Child Soldiers

In a joint statement between the United Nations and the Sri Lankan government, the government has said that it will rehabilitate child soldiers who were involved in the Sri Lankan civil war.

"(President (Mahinda) Rajapakse reiterated his firm policy of zero tolerance in relation to child recruitment. In cooperation with the UNICEF, child-friendly procedures have been established for release, surrender and rehabilitation of the child soldiers," the government said in a joint statement at the end of Ban Ki-moon's two-day visit to the island nation on Saturday.

"The objective of the rehabilitation process, presently underway, is to reintegrate former child soldiers into society as productive citizens," the statement said.

"The secretary-general (Ban Ki-moon) expressed satisfaction on the progress already made by the government in cooperation with the UNICEF," it added.

Foreign Policy has a short article outlining some of the myths regarding child soldiers. For instance:

"Our Current Approach to Ending Child Soldiering Is Working."

You wish. The international community primarily deals with child soldiers through deterrence (prosecuting the adult recruiters) and demobilization (taking away the children's guns and sending them home). Neither approach goes far enough.

In the first case, prosecutors hope to set an example for future would-be offenders. But most recruiters think they will not get caught. Others, knowing that only those who lose the fight get hauled before international courts, desperately employ child soldiers to avoid defeat. Still others assume they will be granted amnesty after a cease-fire. The Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda is a perfect example. Elusive warlord Joseph Kony has employed child soldiers since the 1990s without being captured, and Ugandan officials privately admit that they might need every carrot they can get (including amnesty) to negotiate a successful peace agreement.

Sending children home via disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) programs is another favorite method of post-conflict planners. These programs are meant to get children and adolescents out of armies and back where they belong -- in schools or in jobs. But here again, results are mixed. Many organizers make the mistake of excluding girls from their programs. They often fail to understand the local economy and therefore train children for the wrong professions. In Liberia, for example, too many ex-combatants were educated as carpenters and hairdressers. Nor do the programs target the roots of intergenerational violence that will long outlast the active fighting. DDR initiatives are often too short term to do much more than superficial training, as even officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development will admit.

The biggest challenge of all in ending child soldiering lies in the types of conflicts that employ the young. Children tend to be recruited in brutal, long-running civil wars, the kind that simmer for years or even decades. Unfortunately, these wars constitute the main form of armed conflict today. Until they stop, the recruitment of children never will.

The article is by Scott Gates and Simon Reich, co-editors of the forthcoming book Child Soldiers in the Age of Fractured States.

Ban Ki-Moon in Sri Lanka

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon toured the Sri Lankan war zone today.

In a Sri Lankan military helicopter, Ban flew over the ravaged northeastern coast where the final battles were fought. Buses were overturned, rooftops were blown off and bunkers were dug into the red earth. Debris was strewn across vast stretches of empty villages, which looked like a tornado had hit.

"As I was flying over the war zone, I thought the fighting must have been very severe and inhumane for the people trapped," Ban later said. "Quite a number of people lost their lives during the course of military fighting."

Afterward, Ban meet with Rajapaksa at his presidential home in the spiritual capital of Kandy. The hilly town is the site of a 1998 Tamil Tiger bombing at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. Thirty people were killed in the bombing at the historic temple, which is said to contain a tooth allegedly snatched from Buddha's funeral pyre.

Both sides in Sri Lanka's conflict have been accused of war crimes, especially during the past few months, when government troops cornered the Tamil Tigers on a narrow ribbon of land on the northeastern coast. Aid agencies say that the Tigers used terrified civilians, including children, as human shields, and that the government indiscriminately shelled hospitals and areas where civilians huddled in trenches. The government denies that claim.

"I'll convey the concerns and aspirations and expectations of the international community to Sri Lankan leadership," Ban said at the airport on his arrival. "Wherever there are serious violations of human rights as well as international humanitarian law, proper investigation should be instituted."

The UN Human Rights Council will be meeting in Geneva on Tuesday (Based on information from Amnesty International, I originally posted that they would be meeting on Monday). Amnesty International has recommendations for dealing with the humanitarian crisis and for investigating and monitoring human rights abuses.

The Human Rights Council should note that the human rights issues in Sri Lanka go beyond the current humanitarian crisis. They stem from a breakdown in the rule of law and a pervasive climate of impunity which has seen human rights violations by the security forces go unpunished for decades. I should also mention that the Tamil Tigers have over the years been responsible for gross human rights abuses, including deliberate and indiscriminate killings of civilians, torture of prisoners, and the forced recruitment and use of child soldiers.

UN Human Rights Council Special Session on Sri Lanka

On Monday, May 25, the UN Human Rights Council will hold a special session on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. Amnesty International has some recommendations.

Peace for Sri Lanka?

According to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the country is "liberated."

"Today we have been able to liberate the entire country from the clutches of terrorism," he said. "We have been able to defeat one of the most heinous terrorist groups in the world."

As he walked into parliament, schoolgirls sang an ancient song of praise, while lawmakers held up the national flag.

After speaking in his native Sinhala, President Rajapaksa switched to the language of the Tamil minority, saying ethnic and religious divisions should end.

"We must find a homegrown solution to this conflict. That solution should be acceptable to all the communities."

It's not time for celebration yet:

Sri Lanka is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe as the Government blocks access by the United Nations and other aid agencies to nearly 300,000 civilians displaced by the army’s victory over the Tamil Tigers.

In the north, an estimated 80,000 people — mostly Tamil, many of them sick, malnourished or suffering from battlefield wounds — were making their way on foot from the war zone to government-run camps that are already swamped. The UN is not being allowed any access to them, The Times has learnt.

Accounts of conditions inside the camps — gained from testimony recorded covertly by aid workers — and the journey to them are horrifying.

"Prabhakaran: The Life and Death of a Tiger"

A biography of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, from Time's Jyothi Thottam.

The rest of the world might never understand the violence Prabhakaran stood for, but its imprint on Sri Lanka is wide and deep. At the height of his power, just before the 2002 ceasefire, Prabhakaran was the unquestioned leader of a de facto government that controlled more than 15,000 square kilometers of territory in the north and east of Sri Lanka and had its own system of taxes, roads and courts. By the final weeks of conflict, he was believed to be using thousands of Tamil civilians as human shields against the advance of the Sri Lankan military. At the time of his death, 250 core LTTE members stood with him. Few will mourn the end of a man who ruthlessly ordered the murder of his opponents, demanded absolute fealty and pioneered the use of suicide bombings.

News Roundup

Graduation was this past weekend so blogging has been slow! Here are some quick updates:

Tamil Tigers Admit Defeat

1.4 Million People Displaced in Swat Valley, according to the UN

Burmese Democracy Leader Aung San Suu Kyi goes to trial

Darfur Rebel Commander Faces International Criminal Court

Nigerian Civilians Trapped as Army Takes on Rebels

A roundup on the Indian elections

I'll be back to the regular blogging schedule soon!

Thousand Flee War Zone in Sri Lanka

Under fire from the Tamil Tigers, over two thousand civilians waded across a lagoon in Sri Lanka to escape the war zone. At least 4 civilians have been killed and 14 have been wounded. The map shows the war zone, located on a thin strip of land between the lagoon and the ocean.

President Obama on Sri Lanka

President Obama spoke to reporters about the crisis in Sri Lanka earlier today.

Obama urged the Tamil Tigers to stop fighting and release civilians as a first step toward peace. "Their forced recruitment of civilians and their use of civilians as human shields is deplorable. These tactics will only serve to alienate all those who carry them out."

He also said the government should stop the "indiscriminate shelling" and the use of heavy weapons in the conflict zone. He asked the government to give the United Nations and Red Cross staff access to the 190,000 displaced civilians.

"Going forward, Sri Lanka must seek a peace that is secure and lasting and grounded in respect for all of its citizens," Obama said. "More civilian casualties and inadequate care for those caught in resettlement camps will only make it more difficult to achieve the peace that the people of Sri Lanka deserve."

Sri Lankan Hospital Shelled for Second Day

Almost 50 people died when a makeshift hospital in the war zone was hit for a second time in two days.

A Sri Lankan technician for the International Committee of the Red Cross, a 31-year-old father, was killed in shelling along with his mother.

There are accounts of dozens more civilians also being killed.

Dr T Varatharajah told the BBC more than 50 people had died when two shells hit the zone's main hospital compound.

Sources in the UN said they agreed with that figure and that 100 had been injured.

Shelling of the same hospital on Monday night and Tuesday morning left 49 dead and 86 injured, the doctor told the BBC earlier.

A rebel spokesman said a home for mentally disabled women was also shelled, resulting in the death of 38 people.

He blamed the government side but the Sri Lankan military spokesman, Brig Udaya Nanayakkara, said the rebels were spreading false propaganda.

(Image: An ambulance burning outside the hospital in Mullivaikal, from AP, accompanying the BBC story.)

Sri Lanka and the UN Security Council

Diplomats from 8 members of the UN Security Council met informally yesterday to ask the Security Council to address the crisis in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, the issue is not on the agenda of the 15-member council as some members, including China and Russia, are opposed. They argue that the matter is an "internal" one.

The video below is from a UN Dispatch post, and it includes comments from Foreign Ministers David Millibrand of Britain, Michael Spindelegger of Austria and Bernard Kouchner of France.




A previous post on the UN Security Council's failures in Sri Lanka is here.

"Bloodbath" in Sri Lanka

As many as 1,000 Sri Lankan civilians were killed this weekend in what the UN called a "bloodbath."

Two days of shelling across Sri Lanka's northern war zone killed at least 430 ethnic Tamil civilians — and likely as many as 1,000 — a government doctor in the area said Monday. The United Nations branded the attacks a "bloodbath."

With the civilian death toll skyrocketing in the civil war, a coalition of international human rights groups called for the U.N. Security Council to urgently hold talks on the conflict.

(Some of the previous posts on Sri Lanka: Obama's First Humanitarian Crisis, Sri Lanka Chronology, The Security Council's Failures in Sri Lanka.

Obama's First Humanitarian Crisis

Mark Leon Goldberg of UN Dispatch, wrote an article for the New Republic on Obama's response to the Sri Lanka crisis, the first humanitarian crisis to take place entirely during his administration. According to Goldberg, the response "augurs well for the place of human rights in American foreign policy."

Over the past four months an estimated 6,500 ethnic-Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka have died at the hands of their own government. Tens of thousands more have been injured. Unlike humanitarian crises in places like Darfur, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this outbreak of violence occurred almost entirely during President Obama's first 100 days. It is the first man-made humanitarian crisis of the Obama era. So far, the Obama administration's response to the crisis in Sri Lanka is encouraging to those who believe that human rights--in name and deed--should enjoy a prominent place in American foreign policy.

The Foreign Policy blog, Passport, has a response.

First, the Sri Lanka crisis didn't start during Obama's administration; it's been going on for literally decades. This most recent episode has been brewing since the government ended a 5-year truce with the Tamil Tiger rebels in early 2008. Since then, the government has pushed the war into a final phase, vowing to finish the job this February in an independence day address. But the short point is: the U.S., and everyone else, has had a long time to see the current crisis coming. It was no surprise -- or should not have been.

(Image from the TNR story.)