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Sri Lanka: The Role of the United States on the UN Human Rights Council and the Need for Urgent Action

February 6, 2012

Since the end of Sri Lanka's war in May 2009, it has become clear that serious human rights abuses, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, were committed by the Sri Lankan government during 2008 and 2009. These allegations were significant enough that the UN Secretary-General appointed a Panel of Experts in 2010 to look into the matter. The panel reported that it "found credible allegations, which if proven, indicate that a wide range of serious violations of international humanitarian and international human rights law by the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, some of which would amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity."

The State Department has also reported incidents in the final stages of the war which may constitute violations of international humanitarian law or crimes against humanity. Shelling of civilians using heavy weaponry continued despite a public appeal to the Sri Lankan government by President Obama to refrain from such acts.

Killing Fields Video - from Channel 4