The International Community said that The United States has criticized Sri-Lanka for slow progress in addressing war crimes and past human rights abuses, according to Reuters on Friday night at 9:00 pm.
UN and Human Rights advocates had indicted Sri-Lankan war with Tamils for last weeks of civil war with government ended in 2009.
It is noted that Tamils demanded reforms and redress from government.
Earlier Human Rights revolutionaries accused military of killing thousands of civilians, mostly Tamils.
Ben Emmerson, The UN Special Reporter on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism told reporters after concluding a four-day visit to Sri-Lanka.
He said, “There is little evidence that perpetrators of war crimes committed by members of the Sri-Lankan armed forces are being brought to justice, with a progress of having ground, to a virtual halt.”
He added that Sri-Lanka could face a range of measures, including a referral to the UN Security Council, “If it fails to meet commitments it made under a 2015 UN resolution.”
As Colombo promised earlier an impartial investigation into human rights violations but President Maithripala Sirisena said, “He will not allow foreign judges to take part in the investigation.”
He added, “I had come across prisoners who has been detained without trial for more than 12 years.”
He further criticized what he said was “systemic use of torture” in Sri-Lanka, saying it was “among the worst in the world”, and blamed the situation mainly on Colombo’s failure to repeal its Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) despite promises to do so.
Justice Minister Wijedesa Rajapaksa told Reuters, “He can’t dictate like this, we can’t make laws immediately.
“They have to go through parliament… There is a process. He must understand what democracy is.”
Correspondent: Syeda Faiza Bukhari
