The spokesman for the UN Human Rights office, Jeremy Laurence, has called on the Sri Lankan government to achieve «full reparations» for the victims of the attacks that took place in the country in 2019 and that left 279 people dead and thus ensure that «justice is done and the truth is established».
His remarks come in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling, which on Friday found former President Maithripala Sirisena and his security leadership guilty of negligence in failing to prevent the attacks and ordered them to pay compensation to the families of the victims.
«Although no amount of financial compensation can eliminate the suffering and pain of the victims and their families, this ruling is a step forward in recognizing the harm suffered and their right to truth, justice and reparations,» Laurence said in a statement.
However, the UN calls on the government to ensure «adequate compensation for the victims and that their representatives are duly consulted in the disbursement of the agreed funds,» he said.
In this sense, it reiterated its recommendations and asked that «the results of the investigations be made public» and that «an independent and transparent investigation with international assistance and the participation of the victims and their representatives» be established.
Along with the former president, former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara, former Director of Intelligence Nilantha Jayawardhane, former Defense Minister Hemasiri Fernando and former National Intelligence chief Sisira Mendis have also been sentenced to pay compensation.
A total of 500 people were injured in the blasts, the worst episode of violence in the country since the end of the civil war in 2009. To date, several branches of the investigation point to the possibility that the Islamic State may have been behind the attack, but the Criminal Investigation Department has not found any conclusive evidence of jihadist responsibility.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
