|2016

WORLD REPORT 2016
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Key International Actors
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) continued to mediate
peace talks in Addis Ababa, and teams of monitors on the ground reported on violations
of a January 2014 cessation of hostilities agreement between the two
sides. Uganda, an IGAD member, continued to deploy soldiers in South Sudan to
shore up the government.
China, the European Union, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States
continued to support the peace process.
In early March 2015, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution that established
a sanctions regime for South Sudan. A sanctions committee has authority
to impose travel bans and asset freezes on individuals and entities found responsible
for human rights abuses, violations of international humanitarian law,
or the recruitment of child soldiers.
Sanctions have been imposed on six South Sudanese commanders from both
government and opposition forces. Though the council in the March resolution
did not impose an arms embargo on South Sudan, the council expressed its “intent
to impose” any measures “appropriate to respond to the situation,” including
an arms embargo. At time of writing, no Security Council arms embargo has
been imposed on South Sudan. In May, the African Union Peace and Security
Council called for the Security Council to “urgently consider” establishing an
arms embargo on South Sudan.
The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) continued to shelter tens of thousands
of civilians forced to flee their homes because of attacks by forces from
both sides. UNMISS peacekeepers struggled to protect civilians outside of their
bases.
In June, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution that dispatched a UN
human rights mission to monitor steps taken to ensure accountability.
Sri Lanka
Elections in Sri Lanka brought about momentous changes after nearly a decade
of increasingly autocratic rule. In January 2015, President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s
government, in power since 2006, lost to a united opposition front led by
Maithripala Sirisena, a former health minister. In August, Ranil Wickramsinghe,
longtime leader of the largest opposition party, was elected prime minister.
The new government quickly abolished surveillance and censorship of media
and civil society groups, embarked on constitutional reforms to restrict executive
powers, and took steps to restore the independence of the judiciary. In contrast
to the combative approach of the Rajapaksa government, it also initiated a new,
more open dialogue with the international community, including human rights
organizations.
However, the government took no significant measures to end impunity for security
force abuse, including police use of torture. At time of writing, the government
also had not yet repealed the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA),
despite promises to do so, and continued to detain people under it. Following a
sustained hunger strike by an estimated 200 PTA detainees, the government in
November released some on bail, sent others for rehabilitation, and pledged to
charge and try the rest.
In August, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR) issued a scathing report on abuses committed by all sides during Sri
Lanka’s 1983-2009 armed conflict with the secessionist Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The report, which was mandated by a March 2014 Human
Rights Council (HRC) resolution on Sri Lanka, documented credible accounts of
unlawful attacks, killings, enforced disappearances, torture, sexual violence,
and attacks on humanitarian assistance .
Following the report, HRC member states endorsed a resolution calling on the Sri
Lankan government to implement the report’s many recommendations, including
to establish a special counsel to investigate and prosecute alleged wartime
abuses, and to include foreign judges and prosecutors in a Sri Lankan tribunal.
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