News

Government says no evidence to support claims on Jagath

21 Sep, 2017

The?Government says there is no evidence to support allegations raised against former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya.

Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana told Parliament that the statements made by Minister Sarath Fonseka on Jagath Jayasuriya are his personal opinion.

He also said that Sri Lanka will not support the case filed in Brazil against Jayasuriya.

Human rights groups in South America had recently filed war crimes lawsuits against Jayasuriya who was Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Brazil.

The lawsuits against Jagath Jayasuriya allege he oversaw military units that attacked hospitals and killed, disappeared and tortured thousands of people in the final phase of Sri Lanka?s civil war in 2009.

The criminal suits were spearheaded by the human rights group International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), an evidence-gathering organisation based in South Africa.

Later?Sarath Fonseka said he was prepared to testify against Jayasuriya in court on the alleged crimes committed by him during the war.

Fonseka, under who Jayasuriya served during the war, said that he had received information on crimes committed by Jayasuriya. (Colombo Gazette)

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