 |
| Martti Ahtisaari |
The experts are:
Mr Martti
Ahtisaari, former President of Finland and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who
has also served as a UN diplomat and mediator and is renowned for his
international peace work;
Ms Silvia
Cartwright, former Governor-General and High Court judge of New Zealand, and
judge of the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts in Cambodia, as well as former
member of the UN Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women; 
Ms Asma Jahangir, former
President of Pakistan’s Supreme Court Bar Association and of the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan, previous holder of several Human Rights Council mandates
and member of a recent fact-finding body into Israeli
settlements.
“I am proud that three such
distinguished experts have agreed to assist this important and challenging
investigation,” the High Commissioner said. “Each of them brings not only great
experience and expertise, but the highest standards of integrity, independence,
impartiality and objectivity to this task.”
The experts will play a supportive and advisory role, providing
advice and guidance as well as independent verification throughout the
investigation.
The Investigation Team
with whom they will work will consist of 12 staff, including investigators,
forensics experts, a gender specialist, a legal analyst and various other staff
with specialized skills. It will be operational for a period of 10 months (up to
mid-April 2015).
“Once again, I encourage
the Government and people of Sri Lanka to cooperate fully with this
investigation which can help shed light on the truth, and advance accountability
and reconciliation in Sri Lanka,” the High Commissioner said, adding that the
investigation would still go ahead undeterred if such cooperation was not
forthcoming.
In March 2014, the United
Nations Human Rights Council adopted resolution 25/1 entitled ‘Promoting
Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka’ which requested
the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to undertake a
comprehensive investigation into alleged serious violations and abuses of human
rights and related crimes by both parties in Sri Lanka during the period covered
by Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) which
examined the last years of the armed conflict.
The Council requested the UN Human Rights Office “to establish the
facts and circumstances of such alleged violations, and of the crimes
perpetrated, with a view to avoiding impunity and ensuring accountability,” with
assistance from relevant experts and special procedures mandate
holders.
The resolution requests the
Office to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its
twenty-seventh session in September 2014, and a comprehensive report at its
twenty-eighth session in March 2015.
ENDS
