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Investigation Of Sri Lankan War Crimes
“Those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity at the end of the Sri
Lankan civil war in 2009 must not be allowed to go unpunished”, said John Dowd AO
QC, the President of The International Commission of Jurists, Australia (ICJA). “The
expert committee established by the United Nations Secretary-General found credible
allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights
law. The Expert Panel called on the Sri Lankan Government to immediately
commence genuine investigations into such allegations. This has not happened”, said
John Dowd.
“In continuing violation of international human rights law, there are thousands of
former combatants and civilians in Sri Lankan detention camps still not identified or
accounted for”, said Mr. Dowd.
“The International Commission of Jurists, Australia has furnished the Australian
Federal Police with a brief of evidence that corroborates and substantiates the findings
of the UN Secretary-General’s Expert Panel. Since October 2009, such evidence has
been taken from witnesses in Australia and overseas”, said John Dowd. “It is clear that
Australia has an obligation to investigate and, where appropriate, to prosecute those
responsible”, said Mr. Dowd. “Australia owes this much to the Australian citizens and
residents who are victims of the Sri Lankan civil war.”
“In 2009 the ICJA together with New South Wales Young Lawyers established the Sri
Lanka Evidence Project, an evidence-gathering project to take statements to be used in
an independent war crimes tribunal”, said Mr. Dowd. “Under Commonwealth law,
there is ample possibility to prosecute these most serious offences here, where
Australia has custody of a person and where immunity does not apply.” Mr. Dowd
noted that “more than two years after the end of hostilities in Sri Lanka, no one on
either side of the Sri Lankan civil war has been charged or prosecuted.”