In a public statement issued on Tuesday marking the two year anniversary of the military victory of the Sri Lankan government over Tamil Tigers, Amnesty International (AI) has called for the support of the UNHRC to assist in the efforts to initiate an international investigation on Sri Lanka.

On 27 May 2009, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution praising Sri Lankan Government's efforts "to ensure the safety and security of all Sri Lankans and to bring permanent peace to the country,"

Damage

This resolution "has done profound damage to efforts to end impunity and secure reconciliation in Sri Lanka and to the credibility of the UN in Sri Lanka," says AI.

The AI statement says that there is "mounting evidence that war crimes may have been committed during the armed conflict".

Support

Due to what it calls ineffective response by the Sri Lankan authorities, AI says, "it is time for the Human Rights Council to support international efforts to investigate the allegations".

"The Human Rights Council and the members of the United Nations also have a responsibility to support genuine efforts to encourage the Sri Lankan government to better protect the rights of all Sri Lankans and to avoid a repeat of the violations that became so commonplace," it adds