Friday, 8 November 2013 06:42
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International Bar Association high-level delegation has visas revoked again
The Government has denied entry to a high level delegation of the International Bar Association – which includes United National Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers Gabriella Knaul – that was to visit the island just ahead of the Commonwealth summit.
The delegation was to host a rule of law conference together with the Bar Association of Sri Lanka on 13 November, on the theme ‘Making Commonwealth values a reality: the rule of law and independence of the legal profession’. The UN Special Rapporteur was scheduled to speak at the conference.
Earlier this year the Government revoked the visas for a high=level IBA fact-finding mission headed by former Indian Chief Justice J. Verma that was to report on the impeachment of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.
The IBAHRI said in a media release yesterday that the group has had its visas revoked officially, or de facto. This was notwithstanding the public assurance from Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Dr. Chris Nonis, on 30 April in a BBC interview, that representatives of IBAHRI ‘are absolutely welcome to come in’ and that ‘…if any institution is formally invited… naturally of course we would [let them in]’, the media release said.
The institute said that more than 200 lawyers and diplomats are registered to attend the event, which aims to promote scrutiny and discussion on international Commonwealth obligations and values regarding the independence of the legal profession.
Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, IBAHRI Co-Chair, commented: “We deeply regret the Government of Sri Lanka’s decision to deny entry of an International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute delegation for a second time.”
The IBAHRI delegation had been issued visas from the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Colombo on 28 August 2013. On 30 October, the IBAHRI began to receive reports from Colombo that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not want the Conference to proceed and that IBAHRI delegates’ visas would be revoked or delegates would be blocked from entering Sri Lanka on arrival at the airport, the release said. The Institute said that on 6 November a letter was received from the Deputy High Commissioner Neville de Silva, which stated there had been a Government decision to have “an embargoed period” between 20 October and 20 November because of the forthcoming CHOGM 2013.
The Ministry has said it is not in a position to facilitate any visits by foreign dignitaries, officials and others who would be participants at seminars and conferences during this period.
