Two days ahead of the 19th sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) here in Geneva, Human Rights Commissioner Navaneetham Pillay raised the issue that the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) had not dealt with the accountability issues raised in the UN panel report dubbed by the government as the Darusman report.
A top government delegation led by External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris met with Ms. Pillay in Geneva yesterday.
Irrigation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva who participated in the meeting told journalists that the government delegation promptly responded to her remarks in this respect.
“We corrected her immediately. We have dealt with accountability issues,” he said. He added that it is the people of Sri Lanka and not external forces that should approve any reconciliation process.
“We made that point during the discussion. Whatever it is, the people of Sri Lanka should approve it. We categorically told her that the people of Sri Lanka watched how Osama Bin Laden was killed. Yet, nobody raised any human rights issue with regard to Bin Laden’s murder,” he said.
At that point, Ms. Pillay had said that she issued a statement on that issue. She had also told the Sri Lankan delegation that she had no say in the resolution to be moved by the United States against Sri Lanka during the sessions.
Meanwhile, Prof. Peiris said that he challenged the credibility of the Darusman report. He told journalists that the report is based on evidence gathered from anonymous sources. The panel has given immunity for these sources to remain anonymous for 20 years.
“I asked Ms. Pillay who is also a former judge how anyone can trust the findings of such a panel. She said that the panel was not allowed to do investigations. Then I asked again how the report prepared without investigations could be accepted,” he said. (Kelum Bandara reporting from Geneva)
DM
A top government delegation led by External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris met with Ms. Pillay in Geneva yesterday.
Irrigation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva who participated in the meeting told journalists that the government delegation promptly responded to her remarks in this respect.
“We corrected her immediately. We have dealt with accountability issues,” he said. He added that it is the people of Sri Lanka and not external forces that should approve any reconciliation process.
“We made that point during the discussion. Whatever it is, the people of Sri Lanka should approve it. We categorically told her that the people of Sri Lanka watched how Osama Bin Laden was killed. Yet, nobody raised any human rights issue with regard to Bin Laden’s murder,” he said.
At that point, Ms. Pillay had said that she issued a statement on that issue. She had also told the Sri Lankan delegation that she had no say in the resolution to be moved by the United States against Sri Lanka during the sessions.
Meanwhile, Prof. Peiris said that he challenged the credibility of the Darusman report. He told journalists that the report is based on evidence gathered from anonymous sources. The panel has given immunity for these sources to remain anonymous for 20 years.
“I asked Ms. Pillay who is also a former judge how anyone can trust the findings of such a panel. She said that the panel was not allowed to do investigations. Then I asked again how the report prepared without investigations could be accepted,” he said. (Kelum Bandara reporting from Geneva)
DM
