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domestic and international criticism, rather than a sincere attempt to promote
accountability and the rule of law.
The need for international leverage
Foreign governments and international organizations should not view the CoI as an
effective means to address persistent human rights violations. They can and should
devise creative methods to promote human rights and the rule of law in Sri Lanka.
In particular, international donors should encourage and press the Sri Lankan
government to take the necessary steps to end abuse. The government has time and
again pledged to the international community and to the Sri Lankan people that it
will protect the human rights of all Sri Lankans. Now donor governments should hold
them to respect that claim.
The co-chairs for the peace process (United States, the European Union, Japan, and
Norway), as well as other governments, should use their leverage with both the Sri
Lankan government and the LTTE to encourage respect for international law,
including the obligation to minimize harm to civilians during hostilities. Financial aid
is one lever that international governments have, and some states have recently
elected to go that route.
Concretely, the international community should work with the government and the
LTTE to establish a United Nations human rights monitoring mission to monitor
violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by all parties, report
its findings publicly, and act to promote respect for basic rights at the local level.
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