Photograph: Yardstick Films
The UK government has confirmed that an investigation remains ongoing into allegations that British mercenaries, including former SAS soldiers, may have been involved in the commission of war crimes against Tamils alongside the Sri Lankan military.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Labour MP Uma Kumaran, Foreign Office minister Catherine West stated that while the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) had previously assisted police inquiries, it does not hold any additional relevant information on the matter.
"We take very seriously the allegations raised in relation to the committing of war crimes during the conflict in Sri Lanka," said West.
She confirmed that in March 2020, the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Team had launched an investigation after receiving a referral concerning British mercenaries operating in Sri Lanka during the 1980s.
The investigation was reportedly initiated after concerns were raised about the involvement of former UK Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers employed by private mercenary companies, as the Sri Lankan military launched a deadly offensive in the North-East.
Her response comes just weeks after Britain's Foreign Office successfully stopped a retired mercenary being compelled to give evidence at a freedom of information tribunal in London.
Government lawyers managed to block a witness application made by Declassified to summon Major David Walker, a former SAS officer who co-founded Keenie Meenie Services (KMS), a mercenary company active in the 1980s.
The mercenary firm is currently the subject of a full war crimes investigation by the Metropolitan Police over reports that it assisted the Sri Lankan military in committing crimes against Tamils during the 1980s. The firm also helped set up Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force (STF), a paramilitary police unit that is accused of committing mass atrocities over the course of the armed conflict and is increasingly involved in harassing and surveilling the civilian population across the North-East since the end of the conflict.
West added that the FCDO had "previously assisted the police in relation to this matter but does not hold any relevant information." She noted that no further comment could be provided while the police investigation remains active.
In her response, West reiterated the UK government’s broader commitment to advancing human rights in Sri Lanka. "The UK Government is committed to human rights in Sri Lanka for all its communities and will continue to press for truth, reconciliation, accountability and justice for victims of the Sri Lankan civil war," she said.
She also referenced the recent imposition of sanctions on four Sri Lankan individuals implicated in serious human rights violations. "On 24 March, the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions on four Sri Lankan individuals responsible for serious human rights abuses and violations during the Sri Lanka civil war," she stated.
