‘Release Udulagama, Paranagama Commission reports’

The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) and Centre for Human Rights and Research (CHR) request the government to release Udulagama and Paranagama Commission reports on alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

The two organizations, making an open request from President Sirisena, said that the best way to open a dialogue on alleged human rights violations during the Rajapaksa Regime is to publicize the Udulagama and Paranagama Commission reports and interim reports of these committees.

These documents can be made base documents which can be used to investigate alleged human rights allegations as the evidence given by victims and associates of victims of assassinations, abduction and torture are properly documented in these reports.

There might be criticisms on the commission, how they conducted themselves and recommendations. However concrete facts of over 60 incidents, including the assassination of Lakshman Kadiragamar, killing of ACF workers in Muttur, the murder of five students in Trincomalee and the disappearance of Father Jim Brown, have been considered by these commissions.

There are two basic false claims on human rights violations which took place in Sri Lanka. One is the zero civilian casualties argument which was initially propagated by the Rajapaksa regime. The second is conflicting reports of civilian casualties in the last phase of the war. However with these commission reports we can start a proper investigation into alleged human rights violations in the country.

The current government, on several occasions promised to release the two reports by the end of September and the time has come to deliver.

If the government keeps on delaying the release of the two reports CaFFE and CHR believes that all Civil Society Organizations and citizens must unite to pressurize the government to keep its promises.