Elaine Pearson As nations like Canada and the United Kingdom weigh in on accountability for war crimes in Sri Lanka, it’s time for Australia to add its voice. After all, promoting human rights is a crucial part of Australia’s foreign policy, as Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd is keen to say.
One month ago, the Sri Lankan government’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) issued its long-awaited report. The commission was established by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in May 2010 to deflect mounting international pressure on accountability for alleged war crimes in the final months of the conflict with the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
As the United Nations Panel of Experts appointed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reported last April, tens of thousands of civilians were killed during that period, largely from indiscriminate shelling by government forces. Government forces were also implicated in extrajudicial killings, torture, and the shelling of protected places such as hospitals, while the LTTE abuses included using civilians as human shields, shooting people who tried to escape, and forcibly conscripting child soldiers. But nearly three years after the conflict ended in May 2009, there is still no accountability for any of these war crimes. Full Story
