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“Make rights panel work credible”

COLOMBO: The International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP), an 11-member body headed by Justice P.N. Bhagwati to oversee the functioning of the Sri Lanka Presidential Commission on human rights violations, has called upon the Government to initiate urgent measures to make the functioning of the Commission more effective and credible.

In its third public statement released here on Wednesday the IIGEP said, “Taking into account the areas of concern identified in this public statement, the IIGEP concludes that the investigation and inquiry process to date fails to comply effectively with international norms and standards.

The IIGEP calls upon the Commission of Inquiry and the Government of Sri Lanka, in order to achieve the objectives of the Commission’s mandate, to take urgent steps to remedy these concerns”.

The IIGEP was constituted in February with the mandate to oversee the functioning of the Commission of Enquiry set up by the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government in November last to investigate serious cases of violations.

In the first two public statements in June, the IIGEP had expressed concern over independent and impartial investigations.

The statement reiterated concerns of the IIGEP with regards to the independence of the Commission, the role of the Attorney-General Department in assisting the Commission and lack of protective legislative mechanism to protect witnesses. On the decision of the Commission to conduct all the investigations in closed sessions, the IIGEP said it might undermine the transparency of the Commission’s work.

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