A Sri Lankan government coalition partner slammed criticism of the country by the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein on Tuesday, accusing Zeid of distorting the truth.
Speaking at a press briefing, the spokesperson for the National Freedom Front (NFF) said Zeid's condemnation last Friday of Sri Lanka over its refusal to cooperate with the UN inquiry into mass atrocities against the Tamil people, were 'distortions of the truth', reports Colombo Page.
The spokesperson, Mohammed Muzammil, accused the UN Human Rights Council of drawing a conclusion ahead of the publishing of the OHCHR Investigation into Sri Lanka (OISL) report, which is due in March 2015.
"It was the Parliament which has decided not to allow international investigations against Sri Lanka on behalf of the people," Muzammil reportedly told journalists.
He added that it was "regrettable that the new commissioner is following the footsteps of his predecessor, Navi Pillay, and has already predetermined that Sri Lanka is guilty" and said, "the High Commissioner's office was intruding into the sovereignty of Sri Lanka and the probe is violating the international laws and regulations."
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
