A working group of the UN has called for the prosecution of all cases of enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka.
The group on enforced or involuntary disappearances, which on Wednesday concluded its 10-day visit to Sri Lanka, stated that “prosecuting and trying only [a] few emblematic cases will not be sufficient to comply with Sri Lanka’s international obligations nor to satisfy the expectations of the victims and important sectors of society”.
Equipping prosecutorsThe prosecution of all the cases would require equipping prosecutors and courts with the capacity to handle such high demand.
“All prosecutions should investigate the material and intellectual authors of such crimes, including through the application of the principle of command responsibility,” the UN team pointed out in its preliminary observations.
The group stated that over 12,000 cases were referred to the Sri Lankan government, of which 5,750 were still outstanding. A “very high number of cases” before the group related to disappearances occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s in relation to the “violent targeting of Sinhalese youth suspected of links to the Janatha Vimukti Peramuna.”
Another “very considerable number” pertained to the disappearance of Tamils during the Eelam War, which ended in May 2009.
There were other types of disappearances including the “white-van” disappearances, disappearances in the context of anti-terrorism operations or disappearances conducted for ransom or economic extortion purposes, or a combination of all three.
