Sumanthiran questions credibility of Lanka’s justice system

A Tamil lawmaker in Sri Lanka has questioned the credibility of the country’s justice system after the acquittal of five persons in connection with the murder of a minority legislator, the Press Trust of India reports.

“We have always said that because of our lack of confidence in the local judicial system that we want international judicial process for war crime allegations. This stance has now been proved right,” said M A Sumanthiran, a legislator of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

Nadaraja Raviraj, who represented the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) from the northern Jaffna district, was shot dead outside his home in his car in Colombo in November, 2006.

Raviraj was an advocate for greater self-rule for minority Tamils and had explained the Tamil perspective of the conflict in Sinhala, the language of the majority. He was shot dead during the country’s three-decade-long civil war with Tamil Tiger rebels, which ended in 2009.

Sumanthiran represented the wife of Raviraj in the case.

“We do not accept this,” Sumanthiran said stating that they would appeal against the ruling.

Sri Lanka’s new government, which came to power in January last year promising accountability for war time atrocities and ethnic reconciliation, has so far refused to allow international judges in any war crimes probe.

-Agencies