The New York Times called for a special court with international magistrates and investigators to prosecute those responsible for mass atrocities committed in Sri Lanka, in an editorial published on Thursday.

The Liberal Party of Canada welcomed the OISL report into mass atrocities in Sri Lanka and said it would work towards investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide who may be in Canada.

In a statement released on Friday, the party said it “remains committed to working with the international community to ensure that Canada does its part in seeking justice in Sri Lanka”.

It also said:

“This includes exercising the universal jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute those perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide who may be in Canada.  We will also implement a travel ban against those who might have been part of the chain of command within the Sri Lankan armed forces.”

“The victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Sri Lanka have waited far too long for answers,” said Marc Garneau Liberal Candidate for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount.  “This report, for the first time, gives some hope on the road to accountability and peace in Sri Lanka.  We commend the witnesses for coming forward with their stories – and braving all odds, and at times taking extraordinary risks to be heard so that justice can be achieved.”

The International Crisis Group said the release of the OISL report was a “dramatic advance” and urged members of the UN Human Rights Council to “mandate significant international participation in all stages of the domestic accountability processes”.

Writing in the Huffington Post, the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils chairman James Berry called on the British government to lead the world in seeking proper accountability for Sri Lanka’s atrocities. Highlighting ongoing torture, militarisation and economic disempowerment of the Tamil areas in Sri Lanka, he called for the British government to work to end the disenfranchisement of the Tamil North-East of Sri Lanka.

See also:

Colombo has a stronghold on North-East of Sri Lanka: Interview with APPG-T Chair James Berry (04 Sep 2015)

See extracts from his piece here.

Critical moment in Geneva - but will Tamils See justice?

Sri Lanka's President Sirisena has already set his face against any international involvement insisting on a domestic tribunal. By contrast, many Tamil people want to see an international, independent justice mechanism of the kinds established in post-conflict Rwanda and Yugoslavia.

Sri Lanka’s foreign minister said today the government did not want “outside bodies” to do a criminal investigation into the mass atrocities detailed in the UN report, which was released yesterday.

Speaking to press in Colombo, Mangala Samaraweera stressed the “burden” of a criminal investigation was on Sri Lanka and the country will have to initiate legal proceedings where sufficient evidence existed.

The minister said the government is yet to finalise whether international judges or prosecutors will be part of an accountability mechanism, as recommended by the UN’s human rights chief Zeid Hussain.

“The prosecutors, judges, these are the things we have to finalise. We have slight differences in opinions about how it should be done, but I think after the consultations with the people we could find a point of convergence,” he said.

He pointed out that there will be talks with the UN on the establishment of the mechanisms, but stressed the government will not be told what to do.

Former members of the LTTE, who went through the government’s controversial rehabilitation programme, are still harassed and threatened by military intelligence, the TNA’s Selvam Adaikkalanathan said.

The MP, who is also deputy chairman of committees in Sri Lanka’s parliament, said the former members, who now live with their families feel unsafe and are regularly interrogated by the security services.

Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera said the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid al-Hussain is expected to visit the country later this year.

Sri Lanka’s state-owned Daily News in an editorial said the domestic inquiry will remove all “misgivings and suspicions” against the country’s military and warned that the entire nation will rise if there is a threat “to our war heroes”.

The editorial slammed the PHU’s MP Udaya Gammanpila, who called for an Act of Indemnity to give immunity to Sri Lanka’s soldiers, who are accused of committing mass atrocities.

The paper said Mr Gammanpila, who is an ally of Mahinda Rajapaksa, doesn’t need to worry about the safety of the armed forces as Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and President Maithripala Sirisena had already guaranteed not a single soldier would face a war crimes tribunal.

“Udaya Gammanpila need not have sleepless nights about the safety of our war heroes. President Maithripala Sirisena who was once Acting Defence Minister, during his election campaign gave the nation a guarantee on this score. Gammanpila has no monopoly on the well being and protection of the armed forces.,” the editorial, published on Thursday said.

Former army commander Sarath Fonseka has denied the allegations made in the report released by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which details horrific abuses committed by Sri Lankan soldiers during the armed conflict.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid al-Hussain said a proposed truth and reconciliation commission will not negate the need for accountability and justice , as he reiterated calls for an accountability mechanism with “strong international involvement”.

Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, the UN human rights chief said:

“One needs to state that a truth and reconciliation commission, the existence of it were it to be set up, will not negate the need to have an accountability mechanism, to have justice done in the form of accountability and redress judicially.”

“On the basis of what we have seen, so massive have been the crimes, so many have been the families that have suffered that there needs to be judicial redress, there has to be accountability in the form of court cases that will punish the guilty... We are not talking about one or the other here.”

His comments came after Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera proposed to the UN Human Rights Council earlier this week “a Commission for Truth, Justice, Reconciliation and Non-recurrence to be evolved in consultation with the relevant authorities of South Africa”.

On Thursday Mr Samaraweera said the government did not want “outside bodies” to do a criminal investigation into the mass atrocities detailed in the UN report, which was released yesterday.

The High Commissioner told the BBC however that “nothing short of a hybrid court would be sufficient”, adding there must be “heavy international involvement at all levels”.