Sri Lanka's domestic mechanism must include prosecution of most responsible says Stephen Rapp

The United States' former ambassador at large for war crimes, Stephen Rapp stressed that Sri Lanka's proposals for a domestic mechanism for accountability and justice for the killing of tens of thousands at the end of the armed conflict in 2009 must include the prosecution of the most responsible individuals.

Speaking at length to Just Security, Mr Rapp said the Sri Lankan government's proposals "cannot be something that is brought out and put into effect in order to just answer the mail from Geneva."

"It must answer Sri Lankans’ own need to actually deliver on accountability — the establishment of the truth, the prosecution of the most responsible individuals, and a reconciliation of society based upon the fact that crimes were committed by individuals, not whole communities."



"Certain people were responsible and others were not, and the society should come together across the sectarian, ethnic, and linguistic divides," he said.