US envoy to Geneva insists Lanka needs foreign judges

The US Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Keith Harper, says Sri Lanka must have foreign judges in the accountability process on the war. Harper, who was involved in talks with the Sri Lankan Government when the resolution on Sri Lanka was drafted before it was submitted and eventually adopted by the UN Human Rights Council last October, said that the accountability process can be credible only if foreign judges are involved.

“For #SriLanka – credibility of any accountability mechanism requires involvement of foreign judges etc. That has and will not change,” he tweeted.

When presenting the resolution on Sri Lanka to the UN Human Rights Council last October Harper had said that the resolution seeks to support Sri Lanka’s path to lasting peace, built on a foundation of justice and accountability.