Sri Lankan army destroyed mass graves to hide evidence of large-scale civilian deaths, report alleges
This handout photograph received from the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence on May 18, 2009, is said to be of troops walking amongst debris inside the war zone on May 17, when they helped evacuate the last of the Tamil civilians from the area around the city of Mullaittivu. A new report lists a litany of violations by both sides during Sri Lanka's civil war, notably rapes, torture, use of human shields and conscription of children.
Stewart Bell | February 5, 2014
Mass graves may have been “systematically destroyed” by Sri Lankan security forces at the end of the island’s separatist conflict to hide evidence of large-scale civilian deaths, a new report says.
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre said the demolition of burial sites containing thousands of war dead was one of many apparent “grave violations” that called out for international investigation.
Prepared by a panel that included a former chief United Nations war crimes investigator and the UN’s former spokesman in Sri Lanka, the report pointed the finger at senior government and military officials.
Flagrant and reckless disregard for the laws of war
Given the “well-established” command-and-control structures of the opposing forces, the “flagrant and reckless disregard for the laws of war” may well have been intentional and result in prosecutions, it said.
“More than four years after the end of the Sri Lankan civil war, the Sri Lankan government has failed to address serious and credible alleged violations of international law,” the panel wrote.
“An independent and comprehensive international investigation is needed into these alleged violations of international law. Failure to do so can only damage the prospects of meaningful and enduring reconciliation in Sri Lanka.”
AFP/Getty ImagesIn this handout picture from the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry released on May 17, 2009, is said to be of troops on May 16, after capturing the last patch of coastline in the Mullaittivu district held by the Tamil Tigers, leaving the rebels completely surrounded and cut off from any sea escape.
The report is the latest to urge the international community to hold to account those responsible for the unknown number of deaths that occurred when the Sri Lankan army cornered and defeated the Tamil Tigers in 2009.
Sri Lanka has consistently denied any misconduct and accused Western governments and rights groups of sympathizing with the Tamil rebels. “Influential countries should realize the difficulty of fighting such a ruthless terrorism,” President Mahinda Rajapaksa said at independence day ceremonies Tuesday.
The report lists a litany of violations by both sides, notably indiscriminate artillery fire, rapes, disappearances, torture, use of human shields and conscription of children. But it blamed the Sri Lankan forces for the vast majority of abuses.
“It’s a damning report,” said David Poopilapillai, spokesman for the Canadian Tamil Congress, which has asked Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to push for sanctions against Sri Lanka. “What is alarming is there was an intent to commit these crimes.”
