Amnesty Intn'l says CTF report must lead to justice for war victims

As long as the Sri Lankan government ignores the findings of a taskforce, which examines crimes under international law and human rights violations and abuses during the country’s decades-long internal conflict, justice, truth and reparation for thousands of families who have suffered deaths and disappearances will remain elusive, Amnesty International said in a statement today.

The organization is dismayed by the Sri Lankan government’s casual disregard for the findings compiled by the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms (CTF). The CTF published a detailed more than 700 page report with important recommendations on 3 January. However, neither the President nor the Prime Minister attended the handover of the report, while the Minister of Justice told reporters that he has “no confidence” in its findings.

“The Sri Lankan government expressly asked for this report with the taskforce appointed by the Prime Minister. More than 7,000 Sri Lankans from all walks of life, many of them victims of human rights violations, had the courage to come forward and give their views. Now that they have done the hard work, it is dismaying that the government is not taking seriously the taskforce report and its findings,” said Champa Patel, Amnesty International’s South Asia Director.

The CTF report is a landmark undertaking, drawing on more than seven thousand submissions from people, most of which were made at public meetings across the island. The report summarizes these often wrenching testimonies and lays out a series of recommendations based on input from the public.

Amnesty International supports the CTF’s urgent call for the Sri Lankan government to chart a roadmap for the establishment and efficient functioning of the proposed mechanisms. As Parliament is set to debate a new constitution, Sri Lankan lawmakers have an important opportunity to uproot the entrenched culture of impunity by enshrining rights to truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence.