July 13, 2016 Reading Time: 2 minutes
ICC refers Uganda and Djibouti to the UN. Image credit - StringerImage / depositphotos
Reading Time: 2 min read
US representatives praise reconciliation efforts
Visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, Tom Malinowski, and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Nisha Biswal, have welcomed the steps taken by Sri Lanka under the UN resolution co-sponsored by the US.
Mr. Malinowski and Ms. Biswal commended the government for working with the UN and with the High Commissioner for Human Rights in implementing the resolution.
Sri Lankan refugees return
Under the repatriation programme facilitated by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), thirty-five Sri Lankan Tamil refugees from Tamil Nadu have arrived in Sri Lanka.
Refugees scheduled to return to Mannar, Vavuniya, Jaffna, Mullaitivu, and Trincomalee have been provided with free air tickets, allowances, and grants by the UNHRC. Those who lost their homes will be provided with houses by the Ministry of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs.
PM meets Iranian religious leader
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met with the visiting Ayatollah Hassan Khomeini and a group of Iranian representatives at Temple Trees yesterday afternoon.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and Iran’s religious leader discussed bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Iran.
International court refers Uganda and Djibouti to UN
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has referred the governments of Djibouti and Uganda to the UN Security Council and the States Parties to the Rome Statute, for failure to fulfill their obligations to arrest the President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, while he was on their territory.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for President al-Bashir in relation to allegations of genocide, rape, torture, and murder.
Court issues ruling on dispute in South China Sea
The Philippines has won an arbitral case against China, regarding competing claims in the South China Sea. The Permanent Court of Arbitration, based in the Hague, ruled that China does not have a legal basis for its historical claims in the dispute.
Chinese officials have rejected the ruling and have stated that it will not affect China’s ‘territorial sovereignty and marine rights’.
Public hearing held for Secretary-General candidates
The twelve nominees for the post of UN Secretary General answered questions on their respective candidacies, in a public hearing held on 12 July in New York. The need for greater unity within the organization was a central point of discussion during the hearing.
The handling of ongoing international crises, and allegations of sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers, were also among the issues discussed during the hearing.
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