EU expresses concern over new Army Chief appointment

Wednesday, 21 August 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Says move calls into question Sri Lanka’s commitments to UN Human Rights Council

The Delegation of the European Union (EU) yesterday expressed serious concern over the appointment of Lieutenant-General Shavendra Silva as the Army Commander. “We fully share the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s serious concerns about the appointment of Lieutenant-General Shavendra Silva as Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, given the allegations of grave human rights and humanitarian law violations against him,” said the EU statement, issued in agreement with the Embassies of Germany, Italy, Netherlands, the UK High Commission, the Embassies of Norway and Switzerland.

“The promotion of Lieutenant-General Silva to the post of Army Commander calls into question Sri Lanka’s commitments to the UN Human Rights Council, as recently as March 2019, to ensure justice and accountability. It also undermines Sri Lanka’s efforts towards national reconciliation and sends a worrying message to victims and survivors of the war,” the EU statement added.

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