People’s Tribunal declares GOSL guilty of charges under human rights violations

COLOMBO (News 1st) - The  People’s Tribunal on the Murder of Journalists presented its verdict on Monday (19), declaring that the Governments of Mexico, Sri Lanka and Syria are guilty of all human rights violations brought against them.

Moreover, the tribunal was also of the opinion that the relevant Governments have also violated a number of other conventions, treaties and other international, regional and national legal instruments which they themselves have committed to uphold. 

The Permanent People's Tribunal is an internationally recognized people’s tribunal, which according to its Statute, operates independently from state authorities on the basis of the framework defined in the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Peoples.

It was set up by Reporters Without Borders, Free Press Unlimited, and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The relevant tribunal aimed to indict the Governments of Sri Lanka, Syria and Mexico over their failure to service justice in the cases of the deaths of Lasantha Wickrematunge, Miguel Angel Lopez Velasco, and Nabil Al-Sharbaji.

Pointing out that an alarming number of journalists have been  murdered in relation to their work, the PPT says that since 1992, at least 1,400 journalists have been killed for doing their vital job: bringing reliable information to the public. In at least 900 of these cases, journalists were killed in direct reprisal for their work, while in 86% of these cases, none of the perpetrators are brought to justice.

The PPT says that in the case of the murder of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, the Government, through their acts and omissions committed violations ofthe right to life, the right to freedom of expression and the right to freedom from discrimination based on political opinion.