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Colombo
A defiant group representing families whose kith and kin were killed in Sri Lanka’s drawn-out conflict that ended nearly 12 years ago have vowed to continue their campaign for justice, as the UN Human Rights council debated the issue in Geneva.
Relatives of people declared as “missing” in the conflict that affected the north and eastern parts of Sri Lanka said a protest campaign that entered its fifth year on Thursday would go on despite attempts to get them to suspend their efforts.
As the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council got under way this week, Leeladevi Anandanadarajah, the secretary of the Enforced Missing Persons Federation (NE) in northern Kilinochchi, was summoned by the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID), a police unit, for questioning.
“We are convinced that only international community-backed intervention will provide us with answers as successive governments failed to provide justice,” she said.
Addressing the Human Rights Council on Wednesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said domestic initiatives had repeatedly failed to ensure justice for victims and promote reconciliation.
“Despite commitments made in 2015, the current government, like its predecessor, has failed to pursue genuine truth-seeking or accountability processes,” she said.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, addressing the Council on Monday, refuted allegations made by Bachelet in her report on Sri Lanka, saying some of the contents were based on disputed reports.
Sri Lanka’s 26-year conflict between Tamil rebels and the armed forces ended in May 2009, claiming over 100,000 lives.
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26/02/2021
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