No foreign judges to hear war cases – President

By Asela Kuruluwansha

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday refuted claims that he had agreed with the UNHRC to have a war tribunal to probe into incidents that had taken place during the conflict or to allow any foreign judges to enter the country as stated in some media as headline news.

Addressing a ceremony yesterday at Subodharama Viharaya in Peradeniya the President said that some sections of the media were carrying misleading information regarding the government’s accountability process and creating animosity against the Government.

He said, according to the Constitution, foreign judges could not hear any case in the country. To permit such a process, the Constituion has to be amended.

“I will never agree for such amendments to the Constitution or allow such things to happen”, he added.

During our discussions with the UNHRC we never agreed to have war tribunals or to punish people by sending them to the electric chair. “The UNHRC has not made such a request from the Government,” he added.

The media by publishing such false information was trying to mislead the people, he said.

“What the UNHRC requested was to take action to protect democracy, human rights and the fundamental rights of the people including those in the North and East and the Government is now in the process of taking action in that direction”, the President said.

“As the President of this country I will never permit anything to happen to divide this country or do anything harmful to the freedom, independence and the territorial integrity of the country,” he said.