By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, December 9 -- When High Commissioner on Human Rights Navi Pillay appeared at the UN on Friday, Inner City Press asked her about inaction on the killing of civilians in Sri Lanka, including the performance of the UN and certain high UN officials. Inner City Press also asked how many civilians she believed had been killed in Sri Lanka, and if she was seeking a second terms of HCHR.
Pillay spoke generally that there should be accountability, adding that she is postponing a visit to Sri Lanka until the release of the report of the government's Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission, which she said in the hands of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
She said she favored the LLRC report, along with the UN Panel of Experts (or "Darusman") Report being the subject of a debate in the Human Rights Council. Sources in Geneva tell Inner City Press that the push for that is not prominent, and such a debate prior to Sri Lanka's so-called Universal Periodic Review is unlikely. Will Ms. Pillay and others push harder?
Pillay declined to provide any estimate of the number of dead, just minutes after saying that over 4,000 have been killed in Syria, to which her access is decidedly limited.
She also declined to answer if she will seek a second term, saying she has six months left, but "thank you for reminding me" that the decision time is looming. For Sri Lanka as well? Watch this site.
