Sri Lanka’s prime minister claimed to have “preserved Sri Lanka’s sovereignty” at the United Nations Human Rights Council last week, as he doubled down on his government’s stance against an international criminal justice mechanism.
PTI reports Ranil Wickremesinghe as telling a public meeting on Friday that Sri Lankan troops will not be taken before international tribunals. His comments come after the Human Rights Council passed a resolution granting Sri Lanka two more years to establish a court with foreign judges to try those accused of committing mass atrocities. Several Sri Lankan leaders have however repeatedly spoken out against such a mechanism.
“We have preserved Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and the world has come to accept it,” said Wickremesinghe.
He also claimed his government had successfully rebuffed efforts to establish a UN office on the island. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had called for her office to have a “fully fledged” presence in Sri Lanka.
“We told that an office was not required,” he claimed. “The High Commissioner is welcome to visit the country if she so wished.”
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