Sri Lankan president under scrutiny for war crimes

By Ashish Kumar Sen

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The Washington Times

7:02 p.m., Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is reportedly on a personal visit to the U.S., prompting calls from an international human rights group that he be investigated for his alleged role in torture and war crimes.
Mr. Rajapaksa is commander in chief of Sri Lanka's armed forces, which along with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), face allegations of war crimes during the decades-long conflict on the South Asian island.
Under international law, military commanders may face criminal charges if they knew, or should have known, of such crimes being committed by their subordinates, according to Amnesty International.
"The United States has an obligation under international law to investigate and prosecute people who perpetrated war crimes and grave human rights violations such as extrajudicial executions, torture and enforced disappearances," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific director.
A spokesman for the Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington was unable to confirm reports that Mr. Rajapaksa is in the U.S.A

A Sri Lankan boy supporting President Mahinda Rajapaksha holds his poster as they rally around the parliament complex in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010. Sri Lanka's Parliament on Wednesday began debating a controversial amendment to the country's constitution that would allow Rajapaksa to hold unlimited number of terms, a move critics say could lead to a dictatorship. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Full Story