Amnesty International has urged the international comunity to set up an international investigation into war crimes in Sri Lanka at the next session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in March 2014, as the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting drew to a close in Colombo.
Speaking from Colombo, Steve Crawshaw, Director of the Office of the Secretary General at Amnesty International, said,
“Sri Lanka may well regret having hosted the Commonwealth summit which has proved a PR disaster for the government. Most of the focus has rightly been on the country’s appalling human rights record".“The challenge for the international community is now to keep up the pressure on the Sri Lankan government. Those responsible for past violations, including war crimes, must be held accountable, and ongoing human rights violations stopped irrespective of rank - victims and survivors must see justice done. The past week has provided clear examples of the government’s repressive tactics.”
Crawshaw went on to add,
“The strong words by Mauritius, the UK and others have bolstered calls for an international investigation into credible war crimes allegations. But we need action, not just words.""The upcoming UN Human Rights Council session in March can and must establish the international inquiry that is long overdue”.
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