Amnesty International has called on the UN Human Rights Council to establish an “international accountability mechanism to ensure the victims of decades-long conflict get the justice that is owed to them” after the Sri Lankan government's decision to withdraw its co-sponsorship on a UN resolution on accountability.
“Sri Lanka’s decision to go back on its commitments to the Human Rights Council requires a robust response by the Council, including steps towards the creation of an accountability mechanism to ensure the victims of the nearly three-decade long conflict get the justice that is owed to them,” said Thyagi Ruwanpathirana, South Asia Researcher at Amnesty International.
The organisation also highlighted Sri Lanka’s long-standing history of failing to serve justice for victims of the conflict through domestic mechanisms.
“Sri Lanka has a long history of failed domestic accountability mechanisms,” added Ruwanpathirana. Their successive failures have bitterly disappointed victims of human rights abuses and violations, many of whom have waited years for an outcome that has failed to materialize. They need an international mechanism that is both trusted and can be effective.”
See more from Amnesty International here.
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