Saturday, 21 September 2013 00:58
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Pillay’s Office issues categorical denial after complaint calling for retraction went unheeded
Never even mentioned DS statue: Pillay’s Office
Claims practice of extraordinary distortion and abuse continuing after visit
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay yesterday issued a categorical denial that she uttered a word about the D.S. Senanayake statue at Independence Square or its removal during her meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa during her fact-finding mission last month.
“This claim is without a shred of truth,” Pillay’s Office charged in a press briefing note issued in Geneva yesterday.
Her office said it had issued a formal complaint to the Sri Lankan Government on 12 September requesting an immediate retraction and correction of misinformation as a result of widely reported comments attributed to the Secretary of Defence that, during her meeting with the President, Pillay had requested the removal of the statue.
“Since neither a retraction nor a correction have been forthcoming, we are today making public what was said, and not said, about Independence Square during the visit,” the statement from Pillay’s office said.
Categorically denying the charge that the High Commissioner had even mentioned the statue, let alone calling for its removal, Pillay’s office also said her comments regarding a flag at Independence Square had also been distorted.
“The High Commissioner discussed with the President her concerns with rising inter-communal tensions and incitement to violence on the basis of religion in Sri Lanka. In this context, she asked why the only flag flying, other than the National Flag, in such a symbolic location, was that of one religious community, and suggested it might be more inclusive to fly only the National Flag, which is a symbol that unites the nation, no matter who they are or what religion they adhere to. At no time did she request that any flag to be removed,” the briefing note from her Office said.
Saying the Government Ministers had joined in an “extraordinary array of distortion and abuse” during her visit, the High Commissioner’s office notes that the practice has continued.
“We consider it deeply regrettable that Government officials and other commentators continue what appears to be a coordinated campaign of disinformation in an attempt to discredit the High Commissioner or to distract from the core messages of her visit,” the statement observed.
Navi Pillay will be updating the Human Rights Council on her visit and progress on accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka on 25 September. (DB)
