UN: Sri Lanka video is evidence of extra-judicial killing
Sri Lanka's government just won its own long-fought war on terror. After 30 years of bloodshed the army finally defeated the militant insurgency of the Tamil Tigers. But as Mariana van Zeller reported in Vanguard: Sri Lanka: Notes from a War on Terror, critics say it wasn't really a clean victory. One example of this was a video shot at the very end of the war that seemed to show Sri Lankan soldiers executing prisoners. The government has insisted the footage was fabricated. The video is here, however be warned, it is very graphic.
When the video came to light in August, producer Darren Foster was just wrapping up the Vanguard episode about Sri Lanka. He wrote this about the video:
Well today, the UN said they had verified the video's authenticity and called for a war crimes investigation.
The Sri Lankan government has strongly rebuffed the UN's allegations, but this is likely to spur more calls for investigations into their conduct during the war.
To understand a bit more about Sri Lanka and its conflict - check out Vanguard: Sri Lanka: Notes From a War on Terror.
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When the video came to light in August, producer Darren Foster was just wrapping up the Vanguard episode about Sri Lanka. He wrote this about the video:
During the last months of the war, independent journalists were banned from reporting in the conflict zone and there were many rumors and leaked videos of atrocities. But this footage would seem to be the worst evidence of war crimes to have emerged thus far.
Well today, the UN said they had verified the video's authenticity and called for a war crimes investigation.
Mr Alston said that three independent experts had confirmed the video was authentic.
"The conclusion clearly is that the video is authentic," he said on Thursday.
He named the three investigators as Peter Diaczuk, an expert in firearms evidence, Daniel Spitz, a prominent forensic pathologist, and Jeff Spivack, an expert in forensic video analysis.
The Sri Lankan government has strongly rebuffed the UN's allegations, but this is likely to spur more calls for investigations into their conduct during the war.
To understand a bit more about Sri Lanka and its conflict - check out Vanguard: Sri Lanka: Notes From a War on Terror.
Recently on the Current News Blog:
- Christmas, Drug Wars and Juarez - guest post by: Jeff Antebi
- Inter-religious violence strikes Egypt
- Slackers in Pakistan
- China's record snowfall - Photos
- Al Qaeda and FARC: BFF?
