UN experts have found as genuine the video that surfaced last year showing ‘brutal’, ‘point blank’ killing of Tamil Tigers.
Citing top scientific experts, Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial Killings, has held that the footage shown by Channel 4 (in August 2009) was authentic. He asked the Rajapaksa government to allow UN experts to investigate “persistent” allegations of war crimes in the final stages of the Wanni War IV ( July 2006-May 2009).
‘In light of these conclusions and of the persistent flow of other allegations concerning alleged extra-judicial executions committed by both sides during the closing phases of the war, I call for an independent inquiry to be established to carry out an impartial investigation into war crimes,’ Professor Alston wrote in his report.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has taken strong exception to the UN releasing the report without alerting Colombo first.
‘Sri Lanka is also a member of the world body. It is an independent country. The UN should have informed us (Sri Lanka government) before issuing the report’, the President was quoted as saying at a meeting with officials in the Matara disrtrict on Saturday.
An official statement issued in Colombo criticised Professor Alston for not sharing his findings with Lanka officials. It termed as ambiguous the views of experts quoted in the UN report.
Professor Alston stated that the best option for Sri Lanka was to co-operate and invite in UN investigators as part of an independent commission of inquiry. Such commission would allow the UN to begin gathering forensic evidence required for an investigation or even future prosecution, according to a media report.
The UN investigation was carried out by three experts in video technology, ballistics and pathology. The video footage showed a naked man, bound and blindfolded, being made to kneel.
Another man, dressed in what appears to be Sri Lankan army uniform, approaches from behind and shoots him in the head at point-blank range. “It’s like he jumped,” the gunman laughs. The camera then pans to show eight similarly bound corpses.
Who shot the video is unclear. Some reports said soldiers using mobile phones shot the ‘picture’ in January last year.
