What transitional justice?

By Taylor Dibbert

The Rajapaksa administration’s take on reconciliation is extremely unserious (‘Externally evolved timeline with hinder reconciliation: Govt.’). There’s no question that a proper transitional justice plan needs to take “ground realities” and more into account. 

Unfortunately, this isn’t about some complicated and nuanced search for local context. Rather, it’s about the domestic political implications of pursuing a credible transitional justice program and the fact that the Sri Lankan Government (and others) simply don’t want to see such an agenda implemented.

Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN has made a range of assertions which are simply not accurate. The coalition government was never serious about transitional justice and an administration led by the Rajapaksas is guaranteed to be even more intransigent.

The banalities that Sri Lankan diplomats disseminate are not taken seriously by the international community. On the contrary, Colombo’s prevarication, dissimulation and insincerity are stark reminders that international attention and pressure are more warranted than ever.