WEB DESK
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today confirmed that his government has decided to withdraw from the co-sponsorship of UNHRC resolution 30/1 which called for addressing war crimes and reconciliation efforts with minorities. He stated this in a statement issued to condemn the travel ban imposed by the US government on army commander Shavendra Silva and his family. The decision to withdraw from the resolution was reached on Monday and it has to be ratified by cabinet and parliament.
PM Rajapaksa said the previous government ended up accepting all the unfounded allegations made against armed forces by various interested parties. He said that even though the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights says that a person be deemed innocent until proved guilty, this principle does not seem to apply to Sri Lanka’s army commander or even to members of his family. His statement comes as Sri Lanka will hold parliamentary elections in late April or early May after the dissolution of Parliament early next month. President Gotabaya Rajapksa has also made it clear during his election campaign last year that he will withdraw from the resolution, which Tamil minorities are pressing for implementation.