Several countries working to file cases against Sri Lankan military leaders: Committee reveals

Colombo, June 14 (Daily Mirror)- Several countries are currently working together to file cases in the relevant countries and international courts under the universal jurisdiction against the military leaders of Sri Lanka who were found to have committed war crimes, a Parliamentary Committee has revealed.

Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security which met in Parliament recently revealed that although this external mechanism has been rejected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, they are continuously collecting evidence against the military leaders of Sri Lanka and that the military officers of Sri Lanka can be arrested in any country of the world and prosecuted in the International Court of Justice.

It was also discussed that this external mechanism has the ability to describe the war in Sri Lanka as a war against the Tamils and not against the LTTE.

The Committee Chair Sarath Weerasekera emphasized that this activity is a threat to the self-esteem of the Sri Lankan war heroes as well as the national security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should immediately take measures to stop the accusations of war crimes by other countries of the world against the Sri Lankan military personnel and the prosecution of cases in the International Military Tribunal.

The Committee asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the strategies they have to reject the external mechanism brought by the Geneva Human Rights Organizations and their readiness to take action against them if they are prosecuted in the International Military Tribunal.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that the Ministry has taken steps to inform the countries that are acting impartially in this regard by expressing a strong protest against the reports of the Geneva Human Rights Commission.