In this Saturday Feb. 2, 2013 photo, demonstrators hold candles in memory of protester Mohammed Qorany, at the spot where he died in clashes, near the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt. Protesters and rights groups have accused police of using excessive force this past week during a wave of mass demonstrations in cities around the country called by opposition politicians, trying to wrest concessions from Morsi. (AP/Virginie Nguyen Hoang)
Calls to move Commonwealth summit from Sri Lanka
Published: 02:22:11 AM, Thu 07 February 2013 UTC
Humanitarian groups are urging the Commonwealth to shift its annual meeting out of Sri Lanka because of alleged human rights abuses.
This year's Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting is to be held in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo.
But Human Rights Watch says Sri Lanka's Government has taken no meaningful steps to address serious allegations of abuses by the military in the final stages of the country's civil war in 2009.
The New York-based group says the Commonwealth should consider shifting its meeting unless Sri Lanka shows measurable and meaningful progress on human rights.
This includes restoring the independence of the judiciary and properly investigating the conduct of the military during the civil war.
The Sri Lankan Government denies its troops participated in war crimes.
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