The Canadian Tamil Congress welcomes UN Investigation Team and Advisers for Sri Lanka on their new role.

For Immediate Release

June 27, 2014

The Canadian Tamil Congress welcomes UN Investigation Team and Advisers for Sri Lanka on their new role.

CTC urges community members to come forward and provide evidence

On June 25th, 2014, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay announced that three distinguished experts have agreed to advise and support the UN international investigation team set up to conduct a comprehensive investigation of alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka, as mandated by Human Rights Council resolution 25/1 in March 2014. The experts include: Mr. Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; Ms. Silvia Cartwright, former Governor-General and High Court judge of New Zealand; and Ms. Asma Jahangir, former President of Pakistan’s Supreme Court Bar Association and of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan . The Investigation Team working alongside the experts will consist of 12 staff, including investigators, forensics experts, a gender specialist, a legal analyst and various other staff with specialized skills. It will be operational for a period of 10 months, until approximately mid-April 2015.

The Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) appreciates the progress being made on the UN resolution on Sri Lanka and welcomes the investigation team and its advisors in their new role. As an organization which worked fervently towards the passage of this resolution, and towards the passage of its predecessor resolutions for the last five years—including attending Council sessions in Geneva, testifying at the UNHRC, and working closely with many different member states—CTC is pleased to see the advancement of this crucial step in achieving justice and accountability in Sri Lanka.

CTC extends its fullest support and cooperation to this investigation team. CTC also urges the UN investigation team to visit Canada and collect evidence from the large number Tamils residing in Canada who may have been affected in the final stages of the war. We urge any community members who wish to testify before the UN investigative team to provide their contact information to CTC. We will compile the list and confidentially provide it directly to the UN investigation team if and when they make this request.

For more information and to register your name please contact CTC at (416)-240-0078 / info@canadiantamilcongress.ca