UN says Sri Lanka war crimes footage is ‘authentic’
[BBC] The UN special investigator into extrajudicial killings in Sri Lanka says video footage showing soldiers apparently executing civilians is evidence of serious rights abuses. Christof Heyns presented the video footage to the UN Human Rights Council. He said that after careful analysis, he had concluded that it was authentic. The government has angrily denied…
Read MoreSri Lanka seeks new international laws to fight terrorism
[Reuters] Sri Lanka on Tuesday argued that the spread of terrorist groups worldwide requires a revamping of the international laws of war, which put governments at a disadvantage against foes that do not have to follow them. [Full Story]
Read MoreU.N. pressures Sri Lanka over alleged war atrocities
[Reuters] A U.N. envoy said on Tuesday the international community as well as Sri Lanka should further investigate horrific footage apparently showing summary executions of naked men and women during Sri Lanka’s civil war. He stopped short of saying there could be an international war crimes case, but his comments raised pressure on Colombo to…
Read MoreTamil police ‘excluded’ from Sri Lanka parade
[BBC] A Tamil policeman from northern Sri Lanka says he feels hurt that he and 25 Tamil colleagues were excluded from a recent parade of security forces. He said they were pulled out at the very last moment. He believes it was because of their ethnicity. But a police spokesman said there was no discrimination…
Read MoreClashes erupt in Sri Lanka over pension plan, 23 hurt
[Reuters] Sri Lanka’s trade unions on Monday threatened to shut down the Indian Ocean nation’s free trade zones after clashes between police and workers striking over a proposed private pension plan left at least 23 injured. [Full Story]
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