Christian clergy call for probe into Sri Lanka's civil war

(Vatican Radio) Christian clergy from Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil-majority north are asking the United Nations Human Rights Council to push for an independent international inquiry into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka's civil war. The strongly worded statement signed by 133 members of the Catholic, Anglican and Methodist clergy is calling for a “strong and action oriented resolution on Sri Lanka at the 22nd session of the UN Human Rights Council.”

The letter notes the government lacks the will to resolve the causes of the conflict on its own and pin points areas that the resolution needs to address including:

The establishment of an international and independent commission of inquiry to look into allegations of violations of international law by all sides during the war.
The Appointment of a Special Representative on Sri Lanka with a broad mandate to address the past and on-going violations and assist and advice the government on future reconciliation initiatives
The clergy also want U.N. officials alleged to have failed to protect civilians at the height of the war to be held accountable.

Jehan Perera from the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka says the letter is timely

“I think it will give credibility to the efforts being made by sections of the International community”…

The human rights council is to begin its sessions later this month and Sri Lanka is likely to face questions on implementing its war commission report. Listen