Sam Zarifi, Program Director for Asia-Pacific Region at Amnesty International, tells us why the Sri Lankan 'Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission' inquiry is fundamentally flawed.
The LLRC was established by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in May 2010 after UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon announced that he would appoint a Panel of Experts to advise him on accountability issues in Sri Lanka -- a move opposed by the Sri Lankan government. The Secretary-General appointed the Panel in response to widespread and credible allegations that crimes under international law including possible war crimes and crimes against humanity may have been committed by both the LTTE and Sri Lankan forces in the final stages of the armed conflict that ended in May 2009.
The Sri Lankan government has recently promoted the LLRC as an effective national accountability mechanism with which to respond to these allegations and has used the LLRC as its primary tool in lobbying against an independent international criminal investigation as recommended by the Panel of Experts in April.
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Rajapakse regime heading towards a Govt. of the Forces seeks to overturn just laws into ‘King Kekille’ laws
thursday 8 of September 2011Amidst opposition protests debate postponed until Geneva sessions are over(Lanka-e-News -08.Sep.2011, 11.45.P.M.) The Rajapakse regime is getting ready following the lifting of the emergency and transferring police powers to the Forces to establish a regime of the armed forces. After subverting the legal Institutions and eradicating laws of the country it is replacing them with lawlessness so much so that lawlessness is being made the established law.
The Minister of justice today sought to table new enactments in Parliament under the criminal procedure code (special provisions) Act .
The new enactments sought to be introduced were ….
An individual who can be held in police custody currently for 24 hours to be extended to 48 hours.
Vesting of powers in the Attorney General (AG) to file heinous crime charges in respect of certain specific cases.
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