Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee
27/02/2014
FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE PORTFOLIO - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

As the international community prepares to vote at the March meeting of the United Nations General Assembly Human Rights Council on a war crimes investigation for Sri Lanka, the Australian Greens have moved a successful Senate motion calling for the Australian government to support the independent investigation.

"The Australian Senate has sent a powerful message to the UN and international community about supporting an international independent war crimes investigation in Sri Lanka," Greens Leader Christine Milne said.

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne says new evidence of war crimes in Sri Lanka, released by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre's International Crimes Evidence Project, highlights Prime Minister Tony Abbott's sell out of human rights and appeasement of Sri Lanka by his refusal to promote a full and independent investigation of war crimes through the United Nations.

"Prime Minister Tony Abbott's ‘turn a blind eye' appeasement of the Sri Lankan government is a cynical political ploy to bolster his cruel refugee policies here in Australia," Senator Milne said.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott will be asked to justify his remarks excusing torture in Sri Lanka following the success of an Australian Greens motion today.

The motion by Senator Penny Wright and Senator Lee Rhiannon called on Mr Abbott to retract his comments that 'we accept that sometimes in difficult circumstances difficult things happen' and was passed with the support of the opposition.

"There are absolutely no circumstances where torture is justifiable," Australian Greens spokesperson on Human Rights Senator Wright said.

We move that the Senate

1.       notes that

a.       10 December is Human Rights Day, proclaimed by the United Nations' General Assembly in 1950;

b.      on 15 November 2013 the Prime Minister said, regarding reports of torture by Sri Lankan security forces, that 'we accept that sometimes in difficult circumstances difficult things happen'; and

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne says the Prime Minister’s gift of two naval vessels and co-operation with the Sri Lankan authorities to help stop people fleeing the country is collaboration on human rights abuses.

“The Prime Minister’s silence on human rights abuses in Sri Lanka was inexcusable complicity, but this is nothing less than collaboration and it is abhorrent,” Senator Milne said.

“I am devastated and heartbroken at the thought of Australia assisting a disgraced government to suppress and control its citizens.

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne says the Prime Minister has a moral obligation to raise serious human rights abuses with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse while in Colombo for CHOGM.

"Australia's silence on human rights abuses in Sri Lanka is inexcusable complicity," Senator Milne said.

"For the Prime Minister to raise human rights abuses while at CHOGM is the absolute bare minimum required for Australia to maintain any shred of credibility with the international community.

The Australian Senate has rejected Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s stance on human rights abuses in Sri Lankan, and called on the Prime Minister to raise an independent investigation into allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law with the President of Sri Lanka at the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo. 

Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon said “Tony Abbott’s public comments that human rights abuses in Sri Lanka comes second to his inhumane domestic policies about so called ‘boat people’ are disgraceful. 

On 7 November 2013, as international leaders readied themselves for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka,  Lee and New Zealand Greens MP Jan Logie headed there to discuss human rights, media freedom and the push factors that cause Tamils to seek asylum in Australia.