Commonwealth leaders must stop Sri Lanka hosting key summit

[ Amnesty International Oct, 28,2011]

The Commonwealth risks becoming 'irrelevant' if its leaders allow Sri Lanka to become its next host, Amnesty International said today ahead of the organization's biennial summit. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) begins in Perth, Australia today, with Sri Lanka due to chair the next summit in 2013 despite an appalling human rights record. "It's absurd to even consider allowing Sri Lanka to host CHOGM as long as it fails to account for alleged war crimes," said Madhu Malhotra, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Deputy Director. "Today Commonwealth leaders are faced with a choice – reform the Commonwealth so that it can effectively address human rights violations by its members, or risk becoming irrelevant."

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/commonwealth-leaders-must-stop-sri-lanka-hosting-key-summit-2011-10-28