Nearly 50 percent of Lankans want credible war time accountability mechanism

A recent survey conducted by the prestigious Colombo-based Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has found that 48.1 percent of Sri Lankans are for a “credible mechanism” to go into the question of accountability in the last stages of the brutal Eelam War IV. 

Of those rooting for a credible mechanism, 43.8 percent are for a purely domestic mechanism with no foreign participation, and only 17 .1 percent are for a purely foreign one.

Taking the Tamil community alone, 47.6 percent are for an exclusively foreign mechanism. But a substantial section (39.7 percent) are alright with a mixed domestic and international mechanism as mentioned in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution of October 1, 2015.

At Geneva, Sri Lanka and the US had jointly sponsored a resolution which called upon the Lankan government to establish a Judicial Mechanism which will be a domestic one, but with the participation of foreign and Commonwealth judges, investigators and prosecutors to ensure the independence and credibility of the process and to render justice to all parties to the war.

Lanka is yet to set up such a mechanism. Given the vocal opposition to a hybrid mechanism involving foreigners in responsible capacities, and the findings of the CPA’s survey, it remains to be seen if a mechanism which accords with the commitment made at Geneva will actually be set up. (New Indian Express)