International Inquiry Panel On SL To Present Preliminary Findings In September

Regardless of Sri Lanka’s cooperation with the OHCHR-led inquiry, the UN War Crimes Inquiry Panel on Sri Lanka will present its preliminary findings in September.

Sri Lanka has still not officially stated whether it would grant visa to the inquiry panel to visit Sri Lanka and conduct their inquiries.

 

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UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay has named three experts to assist the inquiry panel in their process. The experts are former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari, former New Zealand's Governor Silvia Cartwright and Pakistani lawyer Asma Jahangir.

 

Meanwhile, the US has also welcomed the United Nations' announcement of experts, who will advise the team probing the alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka during the last months of civil war in 2009.

"The US welcomes UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay's announcement of the distinguished experts who will advise the panel conducting the international investigation into the alleged human rights violations and related crimes in Sri Lanka, as called for in the March 2014 Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka," State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said yesterday.

Urging the Lankan government for its full cooperation with the Office of High Commissioner and investigation, Harf said: "We continue to urge the Government (of Sri Lanka) to fulfill its obligations to its own people and to take meaningful, concrete steps to address outstanding concerns related to democratic governance, human rights, reconciliation, justice, and accountability."