USTPAC Welcomes UN Panel Report on Sri Lanka and Urges US to Help Establish International Investigation

by PRWeb, April 27, 2011

Welcoming the official release of the UN Panel of Expert’s War Crime report on Sri Lanka yesterday, the President of USTPAC Dr. Elias Jeyarajah said, “With the release of this report, the world has come to know the extent of the brutality of the war crimes committed against the Tamil people living in Sri Lanka, and it is the obligation of the International Community to investigate these grave crimes against humanity and bring those responsible to an international court of law.” He added “True reconciliation, leading to long term peace in the island can begin only when the truth comes out, accountability is established, and justice is given.” He urged President Obama’s Administration to work with the UN and other countries towards establishing an international mechanism to independently investigate the war crime charges described in the UN Report.

USTPAC released its own report today, entitled “The Track Record of Sri Lankan Commissions and the Need for an International Investigation of War Crimes.” This 34-page report highlights the Sri Lankan Government’s attempts to resist international pressure to investigate violations of human rights abuses against the Tamil people over the past 35 years. The “investigations” by the Government of Sri Lanka have never produced any results nor established any accountability for the violence against the Tamil people.

Releasing the Report by the USTPAC’s War Crime Prosecution Committee, one of its members said “the Tamil people are clearly the victims of violence and injustice by the Government of Sri Lanka for the last 60 years and they deserve justice. Only an impartial international investigation can bring justice to the Tamils and avoid repetition of the same.” He added “Although the war ended, the conflict has not. An international investigation can be the first step towards ending the conflict and bringing permanent peace to Sri Lanka.”

The USTPAC has been working on highlighting the oppressive conditions of the Tamil people by the government of Sri Lanka and the need for a political solution.

Media Contact:             202-595-3123      
EMAIL: info(at)ustpac(dot)org
or visit: http://www.ustpac.org

For USTPAC’s Report, visit:
http://www.ustpac.org/Articles%5CSriLankasTrackRecordAndTheWarCrimes.pdf

About USTPAC:
The United States Tamil Political Action Council is a registered non-profit organization in the U.S. with the mission of achieving a peaceful political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka by democratic, non-violent and lawful means. Founded in 2009, USTPAC is a grassroots-advocacy organization which coordinates advocacy and political activism on a national scale.

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