Sri Lanka: US Senate Calls For Justice

A US Senate resolution calling for an independent international mechanism for crimes by both sides during and after Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war highlights growing international pressure for justice and accountability in Sri Lanka, Human Rights Watch said.

The US Senate resolution, passed unanimously on March 1, 2011, follows similar calls by British and Australian parliamentarians.

A United Nations Panel of Experts, appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to advise him on possible accountability mechanisms in Sri Lanka, is finalizing its report.

The US Senate resolution calls on the Sri Lankan government, the international community, and the United Nations “to establish an independent international accountability mechanism to look into reports of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations committed by both sides during and after the war in Sri Lanka and to make recommendations regarding accountability.”

“Recent US, British, and Australian statements are a reminder that the world will not forget the victims of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka’s long and bloody conflict,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.