By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/untrip7may3srilanka083109.html
UNITED NATIONS, August 31 -- While in Norway UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, asked about Sri Lanka, neglected to mention the recently broadcast video footage of depicting Sri Lankan soldiers committing summary executions, in New York on Monday Ban's Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe had a prepared statement ready, when Inner City Press asked the question. Inner City Press asked Ms. Okabe to confirm or deny that the video had come up as an issue in Ban's meetings with Norwegian ministers, and separately to finally comment on the footage. Video here from Minute 11:02. Ms. Okabe said
"I don't have anything specific on the video in terms of the bilateral meeting... We have always viewed with utmost concern the reports and information received from various sources of serious human rights violations including those related to war crimes The footage broadcast on Channel Four last week that shows Tamil prisoners being summarily executed allegedly by Sri Lankan armed forces personnel is no exception. We are not in the position to ascertain the authenticity of the video in question and have noted its rejection by the Sri Lanka authorities."
This strikes some as a convoluted, even tortured expression of concern: we are concerned about violations generally, and this "alleged" case is no exception, except that we can't authenticate it and note the government's "rejection." Is a rejection a denial? Or a dismissal?
Inner City Press followed up, asking if Ban agrees with the call for United Nations investigation by Special Rapporteur Philip Alston. Ms. Okabe responded, "Let's see... the first port of call should be the High Commissioner on Human Rights, so we'll check in with them to see what their initial response is." Video here, from Minute 12:44.
In light of the 20 year prison sentence announced earlier Monday in Colombo for J.S. Tissainayagam, an Amnesty International prison of conscience whom U.S. President Obama on World Press Freedom Day on May 1 called an "emblematic example" of a reporter jailed for doing his job, Inner City Press asked Ms. Okabe if Ban or the UN had any response to the long jail sentence for a journalist. Video here, from Minute 13:12. Ms Okabe replied, "I don't have a direct response, I have seen the press reports on that."
So what's the upshot? The UN's Ban finally issued a round-about expression of concern, noting the Sri Lankan government's "rejection" of the summary execution video. His Deputy Spokesman would not say if Ban favors any UN attempt to ascertain the authenticity of the video, and had no response to the 20 year sentence for a journalist in Sri Lanka.
And see, www.innercitypress.com/untrip7may3srilanka083109.html
