The Paranagama Commission on Missing Persons has recommended the Gambian model to try war crimes under the Sri Lankan judicial system.
Calling the Gambian model a “successful experiment”, the Commission pointed out that a court, known as Special Division of the Supreme Court of Gambia, was set up in 1981 following an upheaval in which many died. It included judges from the Commonwealth.
“This was a court that met both national and international concerns.”
In the event of Sri Lanka establishing a “purely domestic tribunal” without the participation of foreign judges, the panel opined that “there should be international technical assistance and observer”.
It called for making core crimes applicable in “non-international armed conflicts” part of Sri Lankan law. Otherwise, there could be “no effective domestic mechanism”.
