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| Sunday, 20 January 2002 |
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'Include human rights measures in Govt.-LTTE MoU' by Peace Support Group We the undersigned members of the Peace Support Group welcome the efforts facilitated by Norway to formalize the cessation of hostilities by the government and the LTTE in a ceasefire agreement between the Firmly convinced that the durability of such an agreement and this contribution to a political settlement of the ethnic conflict will be invaluably enhanced by the explicit inclusion of human rights and humanitarian considerations, we strongly urge that the following issues be included in it or form the basis of a separate Memorandum of Understanding between the government and the LTTE at the outset of the reactivated peace process. The issues to be included are: * Freedom of expression, association and movement. * Freedom of movement of food and other essential items. * Release of detainees and prisoners. * End to extra-judicial killings, including political assassinations * End to torture. * Protection of the civilian population and prevention of attacks on civilian targets. * Prevention and investigations into rape in custody. * Prevention of the recruitment and deployment of child combatants. * Strengthening of independent judicial processes. * Strengthening of democratic institutions at the national and local levels. * Respect for the independence and integrity of civil society organizations and groups. * The establishment of a mechanism of independent, international human rights monitoring with the help of the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights. * Respect for international humanitarian norms applicable in situations of internal armed conflict. * Immediate halt of the laying of Anti Personnel Landmines. Clearing of such mines already laid. We reiterate our firm belief in the pivotal importance of human rights concerns in peace making and urge that they be addressed at the outset of the reactivated peace process. Signatories: Sunila Abeysekera, Sunanda Deshapriya, Sunil Bastian, Rohan Edirisinha, Ketheshwaran Loganathan, Jehan Perera, Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Javid Yusuf, Joe William, Radhika Coomraswamy, Jeevan Thiagarajah. |
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