Rights watchdogs slam President for reneging on international accountability commitments

President Sirisena’s BBC interview continues to create an outcry after he ruled out the use of foreign judges in the Government’s war crimes tribunals

International human rights watchdogs have slammed President Maithripala Sirisena, accusing him of backing out of commitments made before the UN Human Rights Council in October 2015 that Sri Lanka’s accountability process would include foreign and Commonwealth judges, prosecutors and investigators.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a lengthy statement issued yesterday, expressed shock that the statement by the President, made in an interview with the BBC comes weeks ahead of a scheduled visit by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein to the island.

 “President Sirisena needs to understand that international participation in a war crimes tribunal was not a vague promise to the UN, but a firm commitment to the thousands of Sri Lankans who suffered during the country’s long civil war,” said HRW Asia Director Brad Adams in a press release.

HRW said the countries that worked so closely with Sri Lanka at the Human Rights Council last year have a responsibility to ensure that this important resolution will be properly adopted. Sri Lanka co-sponsored the resolution adopted at the Council during its September-October 2015 session, effectively consenting to the recommendations made in the non-binding, but nevertheless crucial document. “The real rights gains made by the Sirisena administration will rapidly fade if the families of wartime victims feel that their one hope for justice was dropped on the basis of political calculations,” Adams said.

The rights watchdog said President Sirisena had told the BBC Sinhalese Service on Thursday (21), that he would “never agree to international involvement”.

HRW said the Government of Sri Lanka has no excuse for backtracking, having sought foreign help to bring about reconciliation. (DB)