Canada will suspend funding to the Commonwealth while the chair of the secretariat is occupied by Sri Lanka because of human rights concerns.
Canada will instead direct its planned $20m (£12m) contribution toward other Commonwealth programmes.
Sri Lanka has denied accusations by rights groups that its forces committed atrocities in the 1983-2009 war.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper boycotted a Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka last year.
Sri Lanka's army defeated separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009. The rebels have also been accused of atrocities.
"Canada remains deeply concerned about the absence of accountability for alleged serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian standards in Sri Lanka," Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird told Canadian media. Full story...
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Canada will instead direct its planned $20m (£12m) contribution toward other Commonwealth programmes.
Sri Lanka has denied accusations by rights groups that its forces committed atrocities in the 1983-2009 war.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper boycotted a Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka last year.
Sri Lanka's army defeated separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009. The rebels have also been accused of atrocities.
"Canada remains deeply concerned about the absence of accountability for alleged serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian standards in Sri Lanka," Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird told Canadian media. Full story...
Related posts:
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