Pillay wants probe on war

June 28, 2013

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, who is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka in August, says an international independent investigation must take place in Sri Lanka into allegations of war crimes.

Pillay told the BBC Tamil service that she will look at the post war developments in Sri Lanka during her visit and meet all the concerned parties.

Pillay has decided to undertake a visit to Sri Lanka from 25 to 31 August this year. This is in response to an invitation formally extended to her by the government in April 2011.

Sri Lanka considers the visit as part of its continued, transparent and proactive engagement with the High Commissioner and her office.

“We believe that the visit would enable the High Commissioner to experience at first hand the significant strides made and also efforts presently underway in the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka, in the relatively brief period of 4 years since the end of the ruthless terrorist conflict that decimated our nation and its peoples for 30 long years,” the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva Ravinatha P. Aryasinha said last month.

NAVI PILLAY ON SRI LANKA VISIT: ‘I WANT TO SEE FOR MYSELF’

June 29, 2013
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay on Friday reiterated her call for an international investigation into allegations of human rights violations during the final stages of the war in Sri Lanka.

“I have called for an international investigation; to investigate the root causes of the conflict, to investigate what happened during the last days of the war and to ensure that the rights of victims to the truth and the right of victims for reparation is ensured,” she said. 

Navi Pillay was taking questions from around the world on the BBC’s World Have Your Say programme.

Confirming that she will engage in a formal visit to Sri Lanka in August, on an invitation extended by the government, Pillay stated that she wanted to see the situation here for herself and hoped “to be able to speak to many people as possible” during the visit.

Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ravinatha Aryasinha had stated that the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay has decided to undertake a visit to Sri Lanka from 25 to 31 August 2013.