Sri Lanka promises justice after UN war crimes report

Sri Lanka promised to deliver justice after a United Nations human rights report called on Wednesday for a special court to be set up to prosecute war crimes committed during the nation’s 26-year civil conflict.

The Foreign Ministry stopped short, however, of directly addressing the U.N.’s proposal to set up a special court to prosecute those from the government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels suspected of atrocities.

“The government of Sri Lanka will ensure dialogue and wide consultations with all stakeholders ... in putting in place mechanisms and measures that will facilitate the right to know, right to justice, reparations and guaranteeing non-recurrence with the aim of achieving reconciliation and durable peace,” the ministry said in a statement to Reuters.

It also said that the report’s recommendations would “receive due attention of the relevant authorities, including the new mechanisms that are envisaged to be set up”.

Source: Reuters