The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) has called for “a credible international forensics team” to be allowed in to Sri Lanka, to document evidence remaining in secret torture centres in the island.

Responding to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UN WGEID) confirming the existence of such government run centres on the island, the ITJP said the government must now “bring in a credible international forensics team to document evidence (such as blood stains) remaining in the underground torture cells and attempt to match this with survivors in Sri Lanka and abroad”.

“We note the new Government of Sri Lanka has so far failed to investigate the allegations regarding the site in Trincomalee,” said the ITJP in a press release on Friday.
“This raises serious concerns about the pervasive clime of impunity and the Government of Sri Lanka’s reluctance to investigate and reform its own security forces, despite promises to the international community to do so.”

“The Sri Lankan Prime Minister, who has denied the existence of secret detention sites, should now publicly acknowledge their existence and outline in detail what steps he intends to take to address this problem,” it added.

The ITJP also called on governments across the world to “review naval cooperation, joint exercises and training with the Sri Lankan navy given the credible allegation by WGEID that naval personnel were involved in systematic torture over several years”.

The call comes as a Nigerian navy delegation met with the Commander of the Sri Lankan navy this week, reportedly expressing interest in their Inshore Patrol Craft.

See the full ITJP press release below.