'Victory for Sri Lankan people': UN to probe 'war crimes'

T H U R S D AY 27 MARCH 2014 The United Nations is to launch an investigation into alleged continuing hu"an !ights violations in S!i #an$a% a! c!i"es and

Five years after the island's 26-year-long civil war ended, the UN Human Rights Council in eneva has voted in favour of a U! and U"-led resolution

mandating the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to underta#e $a com%rehensive inde%endent investigation&$ This is a victo!& 'o! the (eo(le o' S!i #an$a t!uth%'avid Cameron Not a single %erson has so far (een held to account for serious violations of international law during the conflict& )his investigation will cover the last seven years of the war, including its ho need to $no the

denouement, which ended in a (lood(ath& )he UN says at least *+,+++ )amil civilians were #illed in the final few months, mostly (y government artillery& )*icto!& 'o! S!i #an$an (eo(le) )he in,uiry's remit also e-tends to the %resent day& .nternational human rights grou%s and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have continued to document allegations of grave human rights a(use in !ri /an#a& 0t the *1-mem(er Human Rights Council, 22 countries voted for the resolution and 32 against& )here were 32 a(stentions 4see gra%hic, (elow5& A tu!ning (oint 'o! the +attle 'o! the hu"an !ights o' the Ta"il (eo(le% 6an 6ananayagam, )amils 0gainst enocide 'avid Cameron, who had cham%ioned calls for an inde%endent international investigation into allegations of war crimes in !ri /an#a, res%onded to news of the vote saying7 $)his is a victory for the %eo%le of !ri /an#a who need to #now the truth a(out what ha%%ened during those terri(le years of the civil war so that they can move forward& $)oday's outcome has (een triggered (y the failure of the !ri /an#an government to stand (y its %romises to credi(ly and inde%endently investigate alleged violations on (oth sides during the war&$

The prime minister said he was "proud of the crucial role that Britain has played to secure this outcome. I said in November that we would achieve more by standing up for our values rather than sitting on the sidelines. And that is exactly what we have done." 6an 6ananayagam, director of the cam%aign grou% )amils 0gainst enocide

welcomed the resolution as what she called $a turning %oint for the (attle for the human rights of the )amil %eo%le&$ .t was a ste% towards 8ustice, she said, for those who lost loved ones during $the mass atrocities committed in the final %hase of the civil war&$ $0 %age has (een turned,$ she told Channel * News& $Now we enter a new %hase in the (attle to %reserve evidence, %rotect witnesses and to uncover the full truth of events&$ ),nt!usive) )here were concerted efforts (y countries o%%osed to the eneva resolution

to sto% the vote going ahead altogether, led (y China, 9a#istan, Russia and Cu(a& 0t one %oint, a se%arate vote was ta#en on a 9a#istan-led %ro%osal to delay any consideration of the resolution on the (asis that the :ffice of the High

Commissioner for Human Rights did not have the funds to fulfil its mandate& )his was re8ected& This in-ui!& is long ove!due% ,t ill shed light once and 'o! all on the a! in S!i at!ocities that too$ (lace du!ing the last (hase o' the #an$a%6ulie de Rivero, Human Rights ;atch .ndia, which has voted in favour of %ast resolutions criticising !ri /an#a's human rights record, chose to a(stain in the main vote, however& !%ea#ing (efore the voting too# %lace, it's am(assador descri(ed the resolution as $intrusive,$ saing it had $the %otential to hinder efforts$ towards reconciliation& )he resolution narrowly missed (eing ado%ted (y an overall ma8ority of mem(ers, which would have re,uired 2* or more countries voting in favour& .n advance of the vote, the 9resident of !ri /an#a <ahinda Ra8a%a#sa, had said he was $unconcerned a(out the outcome of the eneva election&$ He

said that the $%eo%le would win$ regardless of what ha%%ened at the Human Rights Council& )he result will (e a severe (low to the government of !ri /an#a however& .t has vigorously o%%osed all efforts to initiate an international in,uiry& .n recent days human rights activists, whom the government has sus%ected of lo((ying for an in,uiry, have (een rounded u% in !ri /an#a and interrogated under anti-terrorist laws& 6ulie de Rivero, the eneva-(ased 0dvocacy 'irector of Human Rights

;atch, told Channel * News7 $)his in,uiry is long overdue& .t will shed light once and for all on the atrocities that too# %lace during the last %hase of the war in !ri /an#a& $.t is a necessary ste%,$ she said, $ that will hel% hold the !ri /an#an

government and the /i(eration )igers of )amil =elam 4/))=5 to account for the crimes they committed&$ Fred Carver, director of the /ondon-(ased !ri /an#a Cam%aign for 9eace and 6ustice said7 $For the first time, the international community has demonstrated that they care what the government of !ri /an#a does with res%ect to human rights& $.f you are a soldier in northern !ri /an#a right now,$ he said, $you will (e thin#ing twice a(out how you (ehave when you enter a )amil village&$ ).ight against i"(unit&) !ri /an#a's 9resident <ahinda Ra8a%a#sa has re8ected the UN vote& .n a %honecall with 0F9, the %resident, credited in his country with ending the civil war, said7 $;e re8ect this& )his resolution only hurts our reconciliation efforts& .t does not hel%& $>ut . am not discouraged& ;e will continue with the reconciliation %rocess . have started&$ !ri /an#a's 0m(assador to the UN in eneva, Ravinatha 0ryasinha, told

delegates to the Human Rights Council that his country (elieved the resolution was $%artisan&$ He said !ri /an#a $categorically and unreservedly$ re8ected it& )he resolution, he said, violated !ri /an#an sovereignty and international law and would, in his view, $set a dangerous %recedent&$ Toda& "a!$s an i"(o!tant "o"ent in the 'ight against i"(unit& in S!i #an$a%"eith >est, Freedom from )orture <r 0ryasinha also com%lained that the investigation's mandate to investigate alleged crimes as far (ac# as 2++2 did not go (ac# far enough&

.t meant, he said, that it would e-clude $the atrocities of the /))= %rior to 2++2&$ /o((ying and horse-trading over the wording of the resolution had (een intense in recent days& !ome human rights organisations and )amil grou%s had e-%ressed disa%%ointment that the resolution did not call for the esta(lishment of a s%ecific tri(unal or !ri /an#a's referral to the .nternational Criminal Court in the Hague& 'i%lomats involved in drafting the resolution said the final wording had to accommodate the fact that mem(ers of Human Rights Council included many countries who o%%osed the esta(lishment of any investigation& :ne leading >ritish-(ased human rights grou%, which has testified at the UN on alleged human rights violations in !ri /an#a, said the result of the vote in eneva would have far-reaching conse,uences& "eith >est, C=: of Freedom from )orture, said7 $)oday mar#s an im%ortant moment in the fight against im%unity in !ri /an#a& )he scale of the a(use and years of inaction (y the !ri /an#an authorities mean a credi(le international in,uiry is the only way to ensure 8ustice is done&$ Follow ?millerc* on )witter&
William Hague
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Very pleased with passing of esolution on !ri "an#a at $uman ights %ouncil re&uiring international investigation
9:01 AM - 27 Mar 2014