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Friday, 22 January 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
President Maithripala Sirisena threw down the gauntlet yesterday on the involvement of foreign and Commonwealth judges and prosecutors in Sri Lanka’s judicial mechanism to prosecute allegations of war crimes, in a clear departure from his Government’s position at the UN Human Rights Council in September last year.
In a wide ranging interview with the BBC, President Sirisena insisted that Sri Lanka did not need to “import” experts and specialists to inquire into the grave allegations pointing to crimes committed by the armed forces and the LTTE highlighted in the UN Report released at the Council sessions in Geneva late last year.
President Sirisena said the process should be conducted in a way that it will assure justice for all Sri Lankans. “No foreign judicial officers will be allowed to take part in this process and I will never allow that to happen as well. This investigation should be an internal/indigenous investigation, without violating the laws of the country and I believe in the judicial system and other relevant authorities in this regard. We need not import anyone to solve the problems in our country. I believe that we can successfully solve matters internally,” he asserted during the interview.
The investigation had to be “internal” and “indigenous” President Sirisena told the BBC. He went on to tell the British Broadcaster that the international community need not “concern itself with matters of the state”.
“I will never agree to international involvement in this matter. We have more than enough specialists, experts and knowledgeable people in our country to solve our internal issues,” he told the BBC.
The statements mark a major departure from the Government’s undertakings before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in the September-October session, when Sri Lanka co-sponsored a resolution that was adopted without vote, calling for the establishment of a judicial mechanism to prosecute war crimes that included the participation of “Commonwealth and foreign Judges” prosecutors and investigators.
The President also put a strong defence of the country’s armed forces during the interview, insisting that the Government’s concern should be to “free the army” from the allegations brought against them.
President Sirisena also seemed to hint that there were doubts, despite the UN report finding reasonable evidence, about whether these alleged violations took place at all. He said the UN report had pointed to army involvement in these crimes, but had failed to list names.
“We need to thoroughly investigate whether these allegations were actual incidents that took place years ago, where they happened, by whom these alleged atrocities were committed, etc. If anyone has committed a crime, there’s no doubt that they should be punished. However it is wrong to make the entire army guilty for what happened,” he told the BBC.
Asked if he was ready to punish people if it was found that certain individuals in the army were responsible for such crimes, President Sirisena responded: “Of course, if there was enough proof to name someone a criminal after a thorough, deep investigation, the officers involved in the process will decide and let justice prevail. It is a must. As I said earlier it should be assured that such crimes happened.”
Echoing hundreds of similar statements made by his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa, President Sirisena said charges that the Government was delaying the judicial process for accountability was emanating from “LTTE sympathisers” overseas. “People who are sympathisers of the LTTE and living abroad might be saying so. Any country or the United Nations for that matter have not claimed the Government is delaying this process,” he added. (DB)
