AI sees the US Resolution as :

Turning point for victims

International rights advocacy group Amnesty International (AI) has hailed the resolution on Sri Lanka by the UN rights body as a turning point for victims in seeking truth and justice.

AI staff in the US protest calling for justice in Sri Lanka amnestyusa.org

In a statement issued on October 1, AI said, a crucial resolution adopted at the UN Human Rights Council offers the victims of Sri Lanka's armed conflict the prospect of finally getting the truth and justice they deserve.

The resolution was adopted without a vote at the UNHRC in Geneva, following the publication earlier this month of a UN report into alleged serious violations and abuses of human rights by all sides during Sri Lanka's armed conflict, it stated.

"The adoption of this resolution is a turning point for human rights in Sri Lanka, and crucially recognizes terrible crimes committed by both parties during the armed conflict. Although far from perfect, if the resolution and the underlying commitments of Sri Lanka's Government are implemented in good faith it presents an opportunity for victims to finally get the truth and justice they have been waiting for," said David Griffiths, Amnesty International's South Asia Research Director.

The statement added: "The resolution calls for international judges, defence lawyers, prosecutors and investigators to ensure the credibility of the justice process - this is crucial. Sri Lanka has time and time again shown it is both unwilling and unable to investigate war crimes allegations against its own forces or hold perpetrators of grave abuses to account," insisting that "Any accountability process must have an international component for it to have any credibility, as well as to provide the necessary skills and expertise."

It said that it would be up to the international community and the Sri Lankan authorities to ensure that victims and their families are genuinely consulted at every step of the process to get to truth and justice and called for a wide range of institutional reforms in Sri Lanka, including to strengthen witness protection which today falls far short of what is required.