Mar 02, Geneva: The government of Sri Lanka strongly protested the screening of the Channel- 4 film "No Fire Zone" on the sidelines of the ongoing session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Issuing a statement on Friday (Mar 01), the Sri Lanka's Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva lodged a strong protest against the organizers of the screening- Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Festival du Film et Forum International sur les Droits Humains (FIFDH), for using the UN premises for the screening of the film "No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka" to create the perception that the screening was a UNHRC sponsored event.

The Permanent Representative of the Mission, Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha in his Intervention said Sri Lanka views this film as part of a "cynical, concerted and orchestrated campaign" that is strategically driven to influence the debate in the Council on Sri Lanka.

"It is clearly motivated by collateral political considerations," he noted.

The Ambassador pointed out that the NGOs are clearly abusing their privileged status with ECOSOC by engaging in a pattern of acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the UN charter including unsubstantiated or politically motivated acts against UN member states incompatible with those purposes and principles.

"By providing a platform for the screening of this film which includes footage of dubious origin, content that is distorted and without proper sourcing and making unsubstantiated allegations, the sponsors of this event seek to tarnish the image of Sri Lanka and detract from the considerable positive developments that have taken place in the former conflict zones, within less than 4 years since the guns fell silent," the Ambassador said.

"A consequence of this action would be the undermining of the ongoing reconciliation process in Sri Lanka," he stressed.

Read full text of the Intervention by Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha