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sri lanka's commissions of inquiry - Law & Society Trust

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The investigations into the persons against whom the<br />

Commission had found credible material indicative <strong>of</strong> their<br />

responsibility for disappearances be done by the Inspector<br />

General <strong>of</strong> Police under the overall supervision <strong>of</strong> the Attorney<br />

General 99 . II.2<br />

The Attorney General to determine the appropriate legal<br />

proceedings to be taken against such persons 100 . II.3<br />

It is imperative and accordingly recommended that the Police<br />

investigations be done in respect <strong>of</strong> the recommendations <strong>of</strong> all<br />

the Presidential Commissions with regard to the perpetrators <strong>of</strong><br />

disappearances <strong>of</strong> persons and not be done on a case-by-case<br />

basis alone. The investigations need be done in such a manner<br />

as to give the victims confidence in their impartiality.<br />

All Island,<br />

Final (82)<br />

All Island,<br />

Final (82)<br />

All Island<br />

Final (15)<br />

2001<br />

2001<br />

1997<br />

99.<br />

Amnesty International makes several recommendations with regard to investigations in this type <strong>of</strong> situation as follows; “The Police Special<br />

Investigations Unit (SIU) should be strengthened and expanded by making it an investigating unit mandated to investigate complaints <strong>of</strong> gross<br />

abuses <strong>of</strong> human rights on a permanent basis. Members <strong>of</strong> the SIU should not be assigned to any task other than the investigation <strong>of</strong> human<br />

rights violations. Its resources should be expanded. Consider recommendations made by Sri Lankan legal experts that the work <strong>of</strong> the SIU<br />

should be supervised by <strong>of</strong>ficers <strong>of</strong> the Attorney General’s department, especially assigned for this purpose, and (to avoid further conflicts <strong>of</strong><br />

interest) holding no other assignments.” Amnesty International, June 2009, p.50.<br />

100.<br />

A special unit named the Missing Persons Unit was established in 1998 at the Attorney General’s Department to advise on investigations and<br />

to conduct prosecutions in cases <strong>of</strong> Disappearances. By 1st January, 2000 this Unit had initiated two hundred and thirteen prosecutions in<br />

the High Court and seventy nine non-summary inquires in Magistrate’s Courts. All Island Commission Report, Annexure IV – Particulars <strong>of</strong><br />

Prosecutions Initiated by Missing Persons’ Unit, p. 98.<br />

85

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