A top foreign panel invited by Sri Lanka to observe investigations into human rights abuses announced Thursday it was quitting the island and accused Colombo of failing to tackle the issue.
The International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP), headed by India's former chief justice P. N. Bhagwati, said Sri Lankan authorities did not meet even the basic minimum standards in probing serious abuses. "The IIGEP has decided that it will terminate its operations in Sri Lanka," the panel said in a statement.
It has taken this decision after due consideration and for fundamental reasons. "Key international personalities were invited by President Mahinda Rajapakse to observe investigations into 16 cases of serious rights violations, including the August 2006 massacre of 17 local employees of the French charity ACF. The IIGEP included experts and professionals from Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, France, The Netherlands, and the US as well as the European Union and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
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