Several high-profile lawyers and leaders of Law Societies are meeting in Chennai on January 9th (Monday) to join a motion challenging Sri Lankan Government at the United Nations.
This motion will be filed with the UN Human Rights Committee stating that the 6th amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution is a violation of freedom of speech and conscience guaranteed in Articles 18 and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The motion was initiated by Former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark, Justice K.P.Sivasubramaniam (Retd), Former Judge of the High Court of Madras, India, and the self proclaimed Prime Minister of The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran.
The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka criminalizes the exercise of the Tamil’s right to self determination in the form of an independent state in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 2625 (1970) which is considered as customary international law.
Presently it is stated that attempts are being made to resolve the Tamil national question. We believe that it is imperative that during this phase that Tamils should be allowed to express their political aspirations without any hindrance. Thus the envisaged challenge is a timely one.
The TGTE calls upon lawyers from the homeland, the Tamil Diaspora, global Tamils and progressive lawyers around the world to provide legal representation to this communication before the UN Human Rights Committee.
It is to be emphasized that, while the 6th Amendment criminalizes advocacy for an independent state for the Tamils in Sri Lanka, calling for the repeal of the 6th Amendment is not prohibited.
Courtesy: Colombo Gazette
