Sri Lanka government slams Amnesty International's 'pre-judgment'

[News_Editor]

Sri Lanka government slams Amnesty International's 'pre-judgment'

2011-09-11 04:25:23 GMT+7 (ICT)

COLOMBO (BNO NEWS) -- The Sri Lankan government on Saturday strongly condemned the international human rights group Amnesty International for questioning the country's commission which is investigating the last seven years of war against Tamil Tiger rebels.

A statement issued by the Sri Lankan External Affairs Ministry said the claims by Amnesty International that they have analyzed the work of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) is questionable because the final report of the commission is yet to be released. The commission will release its final report on November 15.

"Pre-judgment of the Commission's outcome is unacceptable and unwarranted, and is to be considered as interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state," the statement said.

The London-based human rights group in a report released on Wednesday condemned the LLRC, saying that its investigation is 'flawed at every level'. It added that the Sri Lankan government's inquiry into the country's civil war provides no accountability for atrocities.

The country's ministry also said in its statement that Amnesty International, which refused an invitation from the LLRC to testify before the Commission last year, is targeting Sri Lanka just before the United Nations Human Rights Council sessions to push for an international investigation.

"While pretending to be well versed in legal proceedings, in the case of Sri Lanka, AI has acted as a self-appointed judge and has chosen to ignore the fundamental principle of "contradictoriality" established by both national laws and international law, including by international human rights instruments. Compliance with this principle means that the parties have early knowledge of the opponent's factual and legal arguments and evidence," the ministry said in the statement.

The LLRC, appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in May 2010, was established in order to help identify those responsible for past events related to the civil war.

Last month, the government of Sri Lanka admitted there were civilian casualties during the final phase of its civil war against the Tamil Tiger rebels in a report released by the Ministry of Defense. Yet, the report did not establish the number of civilians that may have been killed during the last phase of the 26-year civil war.

The report came after a United Nations panel earlier this year determined that allegations that war crimes were committed by both Sri Lanka's military and the LTTE during the armed conflict were credible.

The bloody civil war between the government and the Tamil Tigers left as many as 100,000 people dead. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was militarily wiped out in May 2009, ending the conflict.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-09-11