Statement by Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau on the Anniversary of the End of the Sri Lankan Civil War

May 18, 2013

MONTREAL– Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau made the following statement today on the fourth anniversary of the end of the Sri Lankan civil war:

“Today marks four years since the end of the Sri Lankan civil war.

We share in the grief of the Tamil community, and we remain steadfastly committed to achieving accountability and justice for the countless innocent civilians who died or have had their lives irreversibly changed by this long and bitter war.

The Rajapaksa regime’s abuse of human rights and democracy continues to this day. There have also been no concrete steps taken by the Sri Lankan government to reconcile with all actors in society.

The Liberal Party of Canada will continue to advocate for a boycott of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting this November in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and insist that the venue be changed. The Rajapaksa regime has not earned the right to chair the Commonwealth for the next two years, and we call on the Government of Canada to work with other member states to ensure that does not occur.

We have long called for an independent and transparent investigation into alleged war crimes during the Sri Lankan civil war. We stand by the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution calling on the government of Sri Lanka to take meaningful action to invest in truth and reconciliation efforts, and to address ongoing issues of human rights violations and interference with the rule of law.

Canada is a proudly diverse and compassionate society, and we stand alongside our Canadian Tamil community on this solemn occasion. Let us continue our efforts to see the violence and human rights violations end once and for all.”