Three US Senators have written to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, urging her that if the LLRC report was found to be neither credible nor independent, that an “independent international accountability mechanism” be established.

The letter, signed by Senators Patrick Leahy, Benjamin L. Cardin and Robert P. Casey, cited allegations of government shelling of no-fire zones and hospitals, as well as extrajudicial executions of detainees.

Noting that the Sri Lankan government “have often insisted that no civilians were killed by its forces”, the letter says that,

“However, if the LLRC fails to meet basic standards of credibility and independence that the United States has set forth, and the Sri Lankan government does not take steps to hold accountable those persons most responsible for war crimes on both sides of the conflict, we urge you to promptly press for an independent international accountability mechanism”.

After examining previous State Department statements on Sri Lanka, the Senators said that the LLRC had not only delayed its report but had also not implemented any of its interim recommendations or had the scope to investigate issues of accountability.

The Senators also noted that “for U.S. aid to be effective and for reconciliation to succeed, militarization of the North must end”.

They concluded by saying that,

“If, by the end of this year, the government has failed to take credible steps to investigate and hold perpetrators accountable for the array of allegations documented in the UN Panel of Experts report, the United States should openly take the lead in pressing for the establishment of such an independent international commission, either by the UN Human Rights Council or under the Secretary-General’s own authority.”