OHCHR

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

• [Not to be confused with United Nations Commission on Human Rights]
• Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (Geneva based)
• Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights/OHCHR supervises the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It’s an United Nations agency.
• It works to promote and protect the human rights stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.
• The office was established by the UN General Assembly in 1993 (World Conference on Human Rights).
• The current High Commissioner is Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad of Jordan

Mandate

• Co-ordinate human rights activities throughout the UN System.
• Promotes universal enjoyment of all human rights.
• Plays the leading role on human rights issues.
• Promotes international cooperation for human rights.
• Supports human rights organs.
• Responds to serious violations of human rights.
• Undertakes preventive human rights action.

U.N. report on alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

• Report, prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
• A result of a resolution adopted in March 2014 in the UNHRC.
• Report on human rights and related crimes by both parties in Sri Lanka.

Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC)

• Commission constituted by Mahida Rajapaksha,
• to look into HR violations committed by both military and LTTE between 2002 and end of Eelam War (ceasefire agreement between LTTE and Sri Lankan government) and 2011.
• The commission gave its report which placed the majority blame on LTTE.
• The commission was criticized for lack of independence and skewed investigation.

The report of the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL)

• Provides substantial confirmation that grave and horrific crimes were perpetrated in the course of the protracted civil war by both parties.

Recommends setting up of a hybrid court [Sep, 2015]

• Hybrid Court is an integration of international judges, prosecutes, lawyers and investigators.
• It will be set up in Sri Lanka and all the necessary expenditure should be borne by it.
• It examines into war crimes, disappearances, military and rebel human rights violation and all other atrocities against humanity committed during the civil war.

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