Ban Ki-moon Praises Sri Lanka Response to Report on Human Rights Violations

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the report on human rights violations committed in Sri Lanka during the conflict with Tamil Tiger rebels, expressing hope that the government’s plans to look into the issue will improve the situation.

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – On Wednesday, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a report accusing both the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tiger rebels of human rights violations, particularly during the final stages of the civil war in 2009, when about 40,000 Tamils died.

"The Secretary-General is also encouraged by the response of, and commitment expressed by, the Government of Sri Lanka and the opposition to consult widely with all stakeholders and take meaningful action to address these issues," the United Nations said in a Thursday statement.

The United Nations said that Ban Ki-moon "hopes that its important recommendations will help support the efforts of the people and the Government of Sri Lanka to carve a durable path toward long-lasting peace and stability and respect for human rights, through a genuine and credible process of accountability and reconciliation that meets international standards. The victims of all communities, their families and the Sri Lankan nation itself demand no less than a full and proper reckoning."

Sri Lanka’s government has unveiled plans to set up a truth and reconciliation commission to look into the alleged war crimes committed during the Sri Lankan Civil War, which lasted from 1983 until 2009.

The war started when The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a now-defunct militant organization based in northern Sri Lanka, started an insurgency aiming to create an independent state in the north and east of the country. The Tamil Tiger rebels were defeated by the Sri Lankan military in 2009.

According to the United Nations, both sides committed numerous unlawful killings between 2002 and 2011. The rebels recruited children and adults by force, while Sri Lanka’s security forces used torture and sexual abuse against detainees, the UN report said.