Sri Lanka LLRC inquiry is fundamentally flawed

Sam Zarifi, Program Director for Asia-Pacific Region at Amnesty International, tells us why the Sri Lankan 'Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission' inquiry is fundamentally flawed. The LLRC was established by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in May 2010 after UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon announced that he would appoint a Panel of Experts to advise him on accountability issues in Sri Lanka -- a move opposed by the Sri Lankan government. The Secretary-General appointed the Panel in response to widespread and credible allegations that crimes under international law including possible war crimes and crimes against humanity may have been committed by both the LTTE and Sri Lankan forces in the final stages of the armed conflict that ended in May 2009. The Sri Lankan government has recently promoted the LLRC as an effective national accountability mechanism with which to respond to these allegations and has used the LLRC as its primary tool in lobbying against an independent international criminal investigation as recommended by the Panel of Experts in April. Full story: http://www.amnesty.org.au/news/commen...