NewsReports of abuses including torture remain widespread in Sri Lanka eight years after the end of a decades-long civil war, the UN said Friday, criticising the government's slow progress in addressing wartime crimes. “I urge the government and people of Sri Lanka to prioritise justice alongside reconciliation to ensure that the horrors of the past are firmly dealt with, never to recur,” he said. His comments came in a new report in which the UN human rights office said the use of torture was “a serious concern”. It pointed to the island's own Human Rights Commission's acknowledgement of complaints illustrating the “routine use of torture by the police throughout the country as a means of interrogation and investigation”. Sirisena had agreed to a UN Human Rights Council resolution in October 2015 which called for special tribunals and reparations for victims and gave Sri Lanka 18 months to establish credible investigations.

Source: Sunday Times March 04, 2017 14:55 UTC