6 February 2016 11:46 am
He said the Government was confident that Sri Lanka could convince UNHR High Commissioner Zeid Ra-ad Al Hussein that Sri Lanka was on the right track in addressing the concerns raised by the UNHR on Human Rights violations when he visits Sri Lanka today.
He told a news conference that the BBC interview of President Sirisena had raised protests from anti Sri Lanka extremists in the North and in Europe. "The protests show we are on the right track and Sri Lanka can address the concerns raised by the UNHRC with a credible domestic mechanism," the minister said.
“At the interview the President said in no uncertain terms that there would be no foreign judges in the local judicial mechanism that would be appointed to look into the alleged violations of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL). It will be a credible local judicial mechanism acceptable to the global community and the people of Sri Lanka."
The minister said the current Sri Lankan Government had restored the independence of the judiciary and our administration of justice is world class and Sri Lanka had produced renowned and eminent legal luminaries and many of whom were serving in various global institutions and governments.
President Sirisena told the BBC Sandeshaya programme there would be no participation of foreign judges in the adjudication process when Sri Lanka sets up the domestic mechanism and that the talk about a hybrid court by certain opposition politicians was a canard.
“The best example to show that the path taken by the government was correct and transparent are the protests from Chennai and Jaffna to the joint US-Sri Lanka resolution passed in Geneva in September. Jayalalitha, Karunanidhi, Tamil Diaspora and the extremists group in the North said the resolution was not strict enough but was favouring Sri Lanka. However, I must tell those who accused the government of setting up a hybrid court that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa sought the assistance of foreign legal experts on many occasions including that of the four-member panel headed by Sir Desmond Silva to assist the Maxwell Paranagama Commission on missing persons.
The minister said the visit of Prince Al Hussain was not something new as almost all the past Commissioner Generals including Navaneetham Pillai have visited Sri Lanka in the past. (Sandun A Jayasekera)