UN report on Wednesday; serious violations during last months of war – Zeid

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein today said that he will release his report and recommendations on Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Making his opening address at the 30th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today, Al Hussein added that there were serious violations and loss of civilian life in the last months of Sri Lanka’s long civil war.

Excerpt of Zeid’s statement;

Six years ago, we were confronted with serious violations and loss of civilian life in the last months of Sri Lanka’s long civil war. This Council has been deeply engaged with the need for accountability, as a necessary step towards reconciliation in that country. On Wednesday I will release the report of the comprehensive investigation that OHCHR was mandated to conduct in March 2014, including my recommendations.

Its findings are of the most serious nature. I welcome the vision shown by President Sirisena since his election in January 2015, and the commitments made by the new Government under his leadership. But this Council owes it to Sri Lankans – and to its own credibility – to ensure an accountability process that produces results, decisively moves beyond the failures of the past, and brings the deep institutional changes needed to guarantee non-recurrence,” he said.

(Ada Derana)