International human rights groups demand detailed Lanka war crimes probe

AMSTERDAM - International human rights groups have reportedly joined Tamil diaspora groups and the United Nations (UN) to demand for a detailed investigation into possible Sri Lankan war crimes.

According to the BBC, the UN and rights groups said the probe should also examine alleged crimes committed by Tamil Tiger rebels.

Their demands have come following the recent release of a video by Tamil diaspora websites showing the injured body of a pro-rebel female newsreader. Her body was filmed both clothed and naked, the report said.

According to the website, she was the victim of a “gruesome killing” which amounts to a “war crime committed by the Sri Lanka army”.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have verified that female’s name was Isaippiriya, who worked as a television newsreader for the Tamil Tigers.

The video, one of a series that have been released since the end of the Sri Lankan war in May 2009, further show soldiers shooting in the head or legs several naked prisoners whose hands are tied, it added.

However the Sri Lankan military has reportedly dismissed the idea of an international inquiry, saying that it maintained complete discipline in the last months of the war.

“Let the truth be revealed through that,” Sri Lanka’s military spokesman, Ubaya Medawala, said.

Over 7,000 civilians were reportedly killed in the last five months of the conflict, and an estimated 80,000 people died in the 25-year war. (ANI)