UN calls for Sri Lankan war crimes court

Sri Lankan state forces and Tamil Tiger rebels “most likely” committed war crimes including mass killings of civilians during their conflict that should be prosecuted by a special court with international judges, the United Nations said.

Despite pledges by the new government of President Maithripala Sirisena to prosecute perpetrators, the criminal justice system was not up to the huge task alone, said the long-delayed report by the UN human rights office.

It called on Colombo to remove from office military and security personnel and any other officials “where there are reasonable grounds to believe that they were involved in human rights violations” in the 26-year war that ended in 2009.