The report by the Sri Lankan Army Court of Inquiry, which was appointed by the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, was handed over to the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday.
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Here is a summary of the report's findings on the Defence Ministry's website, apparently courtesy of the "Army Media Unit"...
Some extracts of the report:
"Evidence before the Court has conclusively established that the Humanitarian Operation was conducted strictly in accordance with the "Zero Civilian Casualty" directive made by His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa and commanders at all times obeyed the said directive"
"Sri Lankan Army troops had refrained from firing heavy weapons and this self-imposed moratorium had caused heavy casualties to Army troops."
"Evidence revealed that at all stages of the Humanitarian Operation, the Sri Lanka Army behaved as a well-disciplined military force observing the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the law of war and they took all the precautions to avoid civilian casualties and all those who came under the control of the Sri Lanka Army, including surrendered/captured LTTE cadres, were treated humanely observing the IHL to the letter"
Check out the original: It wasn't the army, says the army (15 Feb 2013).
Stay tuned for volume III - the Court of Inquiry is due to investigate the allegations of war crimes by the Sri Lankan state, in the Channel 4 documentary, 'Sri Lanka's Killing Fields', including the execution of LTTE members.
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