Sri Lanka to take up 15 cases of HR violations

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

COLOMBO: The government will raise 15 cases of human rights violations which had taken place in Sri Lanka at the Geneva Human Rights Council opening tomorrow. Human right issues pertaining to Sri Lanka would be taken tomorrow (March 13 and March 14) at the meeting of the Council.

The fifteen cases will include the assassination of Batticaloa MP Joseph Pararajasingam and Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, a spokesman to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights said.

Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe who is now in Geneva had met representatives of the International Non Governmental Organisations, UN and local NGOs, who are expected to raise alleged human rights violation cases in Sri Lanka, a ministry spokesman said.

“The eleven-member International observer team had admitted during their investigations in Sri Lanka during the last six months, that the LTTE was responsible for gross violation of human rights in the country,” the sources said.

An international observers team was appointed by them following an open request by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to oversee the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka .

The sources said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had asked the government delegation to the Geneva Human Rights Council to list the assassination of TNA MP Ravi Raj to as the 16th case.