When asked about the Sri Lankan government’s efforts in implementing a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution on accountability, Mr Sirisena replied:
“I have held meetings with representatives and leaders of all parties, apart from ascertaining the views of experts… There is no reason for allowing the participation of foreign experts as we have sufficient judges and our judiciary is strong and independent enough to handle issues like these [concerning accountability]. Foreign experts can share their experience with us, but we will be handling [the mechanisms] on our own.”Mr Sirisena went on to add:
“We have not been ordered [by the UNHRC] to do anything. We are proceeding step by step towards implementation.”
His comments come after an interview to BBC Sinhala, where the president stated he “will never agree to international involvement on this matter”. “The international community need not worry about matters of state interest,” he had commented.
The UNHRC resolution called for the participation of “Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defence lawyers and authorized prosecutors and investigators”.
Speaking to Frontline magazine, Mr Sirisena went on to state that “at the moment, there is no requirement to discuss” the formation of special courts to provide justice for violations of international humanitarian law.
When asked if this was not a priority, Mr Sirisena replied,
“There are certain things that we have to do immediately. Only then can we look at the issue of the special court and come to a conclusion on whether it is required or not.”“One has to evaluate, investigate, go through the process of study and see whether certain things have happened,” he added. “If so, subsequent steps become necessary.”
