Rights probe nix
Saturday, March 31, 2007
A SRI LANKA court blocked access for an internationally supervised team probing grave human rights abuses as the island faced mounting criticism for extra-judicial killings, police said yesterday. Colombo's chief magistrate refused permission on Thursday for the Special Presidential Commission investigating high-profile assassinations and massacres to have access to court records, a police official said.
The International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) which monitors the investigations, said it was stunned by the ruling which went against a mandate given by Sri Lanka's president to allow the commission unrestricted access to court records, individuals or witnesses.
The IIGEP includes top experts and professionals from Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and the United States, as well as the European Union and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. It was set up by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, who invited governments and international organisations to nominate individuals to ensure that local investigators follow internationally accepted rights standards.
The commission and IIGEP are expected to function initially for a period of 18 months probing 15 high-profile cases, including last August's massacre of 17 local employees of the French charity ACF. The court has asked the presidential commission to file any objections on July 23. The commission had wanted copies of evidence recorded so far and reports relating to the police investigation into the assassination of former foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in August 2005.AFP
The International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) which monitors the investigations, said it was stunned by the ruling which went against a mandate given by Sri Lanka's president to allow the commission unrestricted access to court records, individuals or witnesses.
The IIGEP includes top experts and professionals from Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and the United States, as well as the European Union and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. It was set up by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, who invited governments and international organisations to nominate individuals to ensure that local investigators follow internationally accepted rights standards.
The commission and IIGEP are expected to function initially for a period of 18 months probing 15 high-profile cases, including last August's massacre of 17 local employees of the French charity ACF. The court has asked the presidential commission to file any objections on July 23. The commission had wanted copies of evidence recorded so far and reports relating to the police investigation into the assassination of former foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in August 2005.AFP
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