Friday, 25 October 2013 04:05
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Legislation to be presented to Parliament after reference to Cabinet sub committee
Key recommendation by the LLRC, strongly urged by Navi Pillay
Three weeks ahead of the Commonwealth Summit President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved crucial draft legislation to protect victims and witnesses of crime, a key recommendation in the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and repeatedly called for by rights activists and the United Nations.
Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem presented the Assistance and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Bill to the Cabinet during its weekly meeting yesterday, the Government announced.
The bill will be referred to the Cabinet Sub Committee on legislation before it is presented to Parliament, the announcement said.
The proposed Law will create a balance in the Criminal Justice System of Sri Lanka between the rights of accused, the rights and entitlements of victims of crime and the entitlements of witnesses, and will thereby facilitate the conduct of fair trials and justice being meted out to both victims of crime and accused, the Government Information Department said.
Protection for witnesses was highlighted in the Government’s own appointed Commission to study the conflict, the LLRC which heard testimony in camera from hundreds of witnesses about disappearances and events during the final phase of the war.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has repeatedly called for the enactment of the legislation to encourage witnesses to come forward with evidence on alleged rights abuses during the war’s final phase, as calls mount internationally for a credible investigation into the allegations.
The Government has repeatedly maintained there was no evidence to substantiate claims of massive civilian casualties in the last days of the conflict by the UN. (DB)
