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WORLD NEWS Friday 10 November 2017

Sri Lanka says it will investigate alleged torture of Tamils

against relatives or friends gations,” said the letter,
in the Tamil minority who re- signed by Foreign Affairs
main in Sri Lanka. Ministry oficial Prasad Kari-
The men, now seeking po- yawasam.
litical asylum in Europe, Human rights groups have
said their captors accused cautioned that many
them of working to revive would be reluctant to
the separatist Liberation Ti- come forward, given that
gers of Tamil Eelam, which there is a large degree of
battled Sri Lankan govern- distrust from asylum seek-
ment forces for decades ers who fear for the families
until their defeat in 2009. they left behind.
The Sri Lankan government The government noted in its
has said repeatedly, how- letter that some allegations
ever, that the rebel group is were already being dealt
no longer a threat. with. This year, authorities
In a letter sent to the AP have disciplined 33 mem-
on Thursday, the Sinhalese- bers of the police force
dominated government and dismissed one, it said,
said it “strongly condemns with another 100 cases still
any act of torture” and pending. Also this year, it
would ensure that any such has received 28 new com-
allegations are “investigat- plaints of alleged torture or
Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake the Commander of the Sri Lankan Army speaks during ed and prosecuted to the abuse. It’s unclear if any
an interview in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Oct. 31, 2017. Senanayake denied that Sri Lankan soldiers or full extent of the law.” of those relate to the Tamil
members of the Criminal Investigations Department, a police unit that investigates serious crimes, It urged those with evi- men who spoke with the
could have been involved in interrogating or abusing Tamils after the war. dence of abuse to come AP. Sri Lanka has faced
(AP Photo/Shonal Ganguly)
forward and report it. years of criticism for dismiss-
By KATY DAIGLE police or army soldiers long along with photographs “The government seeks ing calls by the United Na-
Associated Press after the end of the island of injuries they said were the assistance and coop- tions and foreign govern-
NEW DELHI (AP) — Sri Lanka nation’s civil war. sustained when they were eration of all those relevant ments for an independent
says it will investigate al- An Associated Press investi- raped, branded or beaten parties in this endeavor in- inquiry into alleged war
legations by more than 50 gation published Wednes- repeatedly in custody. All cluding parties outside the crimes and other abuses
ethnic Tamils that they were day offered detailed testi- spoke on condition of ano- country, as evidence is key committed by both sides
abducted and tortured by mony from 20 of the men, nymity for fear of reprisals in the conduct of investi- during the 26-year war.q

International court opens probe into Burundi deadly violence

By MIKE CORDER Judges said evidence pro- third term that he ultimately tween April 2015 and May uncovered evidence that
Associated Press vided by prosecutors offers won. 2017.” suggested police and se-
THE HAGUE, Netherlands “a reasonable basis to pro- “According to estimates, Judges issued the authori- curity forces, “acting pursu-
(AP) — International Crimi- ceed with an investigation” at least 1,200 persons zation under seal on Oct. ant to a state policy, car-
nal Court judges have au- into crimes committed were allegedly killed, thou- 25, two days before Bu- ried out a deliberate attack
thorized an investigation since April 26, 2015, alleg- sands illegally detained, rundi’s withdrawal from the against the civilian popula-
into allegations of state- edly by “State agents and thousands reportedly tor- ICC. It is the 11th full-scale tion, entailing multiple acts
sponsored crimes in Burundi other groups implementing tured and hundreds disap- investigation by the court of murder, imprisonment,
including murder, rape and State policies.” peared,” the court said in a that prosecutes some of torture, rape and other
torture, announcing the Burundi descended into statement. the world’s worst atrocities. forms of sexual violence,
decision Thursday shortly violence that left hundreds “The alleged acts of vio- All but one of the investiga- enforced disappearance
after the East African na- dead in 2015 after Presi- lence have reportedly re- tions are in Africa. and persecution, constitut-
tion became the irst to for- dent Pierre Nkurunziza an- sulted in the displacement Prosecutor Fatou Bensou- ing crimes against human-
mally quit the court. nounced plans to run for a of 413,490 persons be- da said her investigation ity.” q