Allegations of War Crimes Are Credible, According to Sri Lankan Judge
Retired judge Maxwell Paranagama, led a a Sri Lankan panel which presented a report to the parliament concluding that allegations that Sri Lankan troops committed war crimes are indeed credible.
He mentioned that there is enough evidence in the footage that has been captured by the Channel 4 documentary called, “No Fire Zone”, to demonstrate that prisoners were blindfolded, tied naked, and shot dead by soldiers. When the documentary was released in November 2013, the Sri Lankan military said that it was a false representation of what happened. The panel, which was in charge of the investigation, also added that even though conflicting evidence exists, there needs to be an independent judge-led investigation to examine the execution and illegal killings of top members of the Liberian Tigers of Tamil Ealam(LTTE).
The panel also suggested a recommendation that international judges should play a role in this conflict to ensure credibility of any investigation into war crimes. The 26-year war has left almost 100,000 dead and President Maithripala Sirisena has vowed that there will be a Domestic Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up to prosecute all those alleged to have committed war crimes, including crimes against humanity.
