President Maithripala Sirisena came to power in Sri Lanka promising justice for war crimes, breaking from his hawkish predecessor and presenting the island with its first real shot at a lasting peace. But that optimism has been sorely tested as Sirisena, having missed a two-year deadline to investigate war-era abuses, declared he would never prosecute … Read more
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has rejected a fresh appeal from the United Nations to allow international judges to investigate alleged war-era atrocities, vowing to not prosecute soldiers. “I am not going to allow non-governmental organisations to dictate how to run my government. I will not listen to their calls to prosecute my troops,” the … Read more
The UN on Friday warned that a range of serious abuses, including torture, appear to remain widespread in Sri Lanka and criticised the country’s slow progress in addressing wartime crimes. “A number of serious human rights violations… are reportedly continuing to occur in Sri Lanka, including the harassment or surveillance of human rights defenders and … Read more
Attackers opened fire on a prison bus outside Colombo on Monday, killing five prisoners and two armed guards in the worst gang-related violence to hit Sri Lanka in decades. Police said the gunmen sprayed bullets at the bus as it passed through a wooded area near the capital, also wounding four guards. One of the … Read more