The UN rights chief on Wednesday condemned Sri Lanka’s persistent failure to probe war-era atrocities, suggesting that the government was afraid of punishing soldiers who committed abuses during the conflict. Consistent failure“The consistent failure to effectively investigate, prosecute and punish serious crimes appears to reflect a broader reluctance or fear to take action against members of the security forces,” Mr. Hussein said in a speech to the UN rights council. Mr. Hussein and the council have called for international judges to help investigate possible war crimes to guarantee impartiality. Mr. Hussein said any justice mechanism set up by Colombo would need foreign judges in order to be “credible”. At least 1,00,000 people were killed during the separatist war between government forces and rebels from the Tamil Tigers group, with atrocities recorded by both sides.

Source: The Hindu March 22, 2017 21:56 UTC