A report titled ‘Island of Impunity?’, due to be released later this week by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre’s (PIAC) instructed International Crimes Evidence Project, found that Sri Lankan security forces were responsible for a vast majority of alleged war crimes during the final months of the ethnic conflict.
In what may have been an attempt to destroy evidence, the report also found that the regime had systematically destroyed mass burial sites of civilians.
PIAC, a research centre based in Australia investigated the alleged rape and torture of civilians, indiscriminate shelling of civilians and hospitals in the No Fire Zone, and the assassinations of surrendering Tamil Tiger figures.
The report concluded,
“Although violations were committed by both sides, the evidentiary material indicates that members of the Sri Lankan security forces perpetrated the vast majority of alleged crimes during the investigation period (September 2008-2009)”
The chief executive of PIAC, Edward Santow, urged the Australian government to act on the report’s findings, stating,
“We accept that the Australian government has a strong policy on asylum seekers. That shouldn’t preclude Australia from taking a principled position and support a full investigation into these horrific allegations.”
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