The UN Secretary Generals’s Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng and on Responsibility to Protect, Jennifer Welsh expressed outrage at serious accounts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, stressed that the Sri Lankan government has the primary responsibility to protect its populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
They called on Sri Lanka to show commitment to non-recurrence by securing accountability and giving prominence to the voices of the “minorities.”
“The voices of the minorities need to be heard because they too are Sri Lanka.”
Stressing the need for unwavering accountability, they said,
“Accountability is not just a matter of justice; it is also a matter of reconciliation, peace and non-recurrence. The wounds of the past need to be properly treated and healed in order to write a new peaceful page in Sri Lankan history. This is a process that will be painful and difficult, but indispensable for long-lasting peace and stability.”