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Sri Lanka will not join International Criminal Court
21 Mar, 2017
The Government today asserted that Sri Lanka will not join the?International Criminal Court (ICC).
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament Sri Lanka will also not agree to a hybrid court in the transitional justice system.
Meanwhile the Xinhua news agency quoted the Prime Minister as saying that while Sri Lanka?is open to accept technical advice or observations, it will not invite foreign judges.
The Prime Minister said that Sri Lanka had backed a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council in 2015 as it recognized the efforts of the government to take the post-war reconciliation process forward.
Sri Lanka is to cosponsor a new resolution at the UN Human Rights Council this week which will give Sri Lanka more time to address issues related to the war.
The Sri Lankan military defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009 after 30 years of war but it faced allegations of committing human rights abuses during the final stages of the war.
Sri Lanka has since been urged to establish a hybrid court to investigate the human rights abuses but Wickremesinghe asserted the government will not agree to a hybrid system.
He said that the post war transitional justice system will be in line with Sri Lanka’s constitution.
Wickremesinghe also said that the government will study a report on Sri Lanka by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and respond accordingly.
The report notes some shortcomings by the government in addressing the war issue. (Colombo Gazette)
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