President urged to remove clause providing for foreign judges

The Joint Opposition (JO)  urged President Maithripala Sirisena to take action to remove the sixth operative clause in the US-crafted Geneva resolution co-sponsored by the Sri Lankan government.

Former External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris said according to that section, foreign judges would handle the war crimes probe against Sri Lanka in keeping with Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera’s agreement in Geneva recently.

Prof. Peiris was addressing the media at Vajirashshrama temple at Punchi Borella.

The UNHRC would present a report on Sri Lanka today (22) at its sessions in Geneva and the decision would be made public on Friday (24), Prof. Peiris said, adding there was no provision in the Sri Lankan constitution for the participation of foreign judges in the war crimes probe.

The former law professor said President Maithripala Sirisena had announced recently that he would not allow foreign judges in the war crimes probe and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, too, had said it was not possible according to the Constitution.

“Although the President and PM have said there is no contritional provision for involving foreign judges in a war crimes probe, Foreign Minister Samaraweera has twice promised at the UNHRC to do so,” Prof. Peiris said, adding that the positions of government politicians on the issue were contradictory.

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