Greens secure Senate support for Australia to back Sri Lankan war crimes investigation

 Thursday, 13 February 2014 

A letter form Senator Lee Rhiannon

Dear friends,

 As the international community prepares to vote at the UN Human Rights Council on a Sri Lankan war crimes investigation, the Greens have secured and moved a successful Senate motion calling on the Australian government to support such an investigation.

This is a powerful message to the UN and international community: the Australian senate supports an international independent Sri Lankan war crimes investigation.

It is a long awaited response to horrific war crimes and human rights abuses committed in Sri Lanka.

New evidence from PIAC makes the investigation even more urgent. The PIAC report was tabled in the Senate yesterday by Greens leader Senator Milne.

The Australian Greens have consistently called for a war crimes investigation. We welcome Labor’s decision to now support this position.

I thank the Australian Tamil Congress for their help in securing this Senate motion.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott must end his appeasement of the Sri Lankan government which is designed to bolster his cruel refugee policies here in Australia.

Australia has co-sponsored the last two United Nations General Assembly Human Rights Council resolutions on Sri Lanka. It is crucial that Australia does the same at the coming March UNHRC meeting.

Further I am deeply concerned about news that some Labor MPs are now linked with the Sri Lankan regime after three Victorian state Labor MPs met with President Rajapakse last month.

Labor MP Liz Beattie’s reported comments that Sri Lankan men involved in the civil war are ‘men of courage’ are obscene and shocking. Many of these men are responsible for systematic rape of Tamil women. I have taken this up with my Labor colleagues.

The Australian Greens will continue to campaign for justice, peace and an independent international Sri Lankan war crimes investigation.

Kind regards
Lee

Senator Lee Rhiannon
Australian Greens Senator for NSW
72 Campbell Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
p: (02) 9211 9523 | f: (02) 9211 3312
senator.rhiannon@aph.gov.au
www.lee-rhiannon.greensmps.org.au
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