Former Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka's appointment to parliament sends "worrying signals" on accountability and contradicts the government's pledges to probe atrocities allegedly committed under his command during the brutal civil war with the LTTE, an international rights group said today.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the appointment of Field Marshal Fonseka to the parliament is a "breach of trust" for victims and families who believed in this government's commitment to deliver justice for war crimes.
"The appointment of former army chief Sarath Fonseka signals that the government may protect senior military leaders suspected of abuses," said Brad Adams, HRW Asia director.
65-year-old Fonseka, who commanded Sri Lanka's army from 2005 until the end of war in 2009, was made an appointed member to the 225-member national parliament by the unity government's dominant United National Party (UNP) this week.
The New York-based rights group said that President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe are sending "worrying signals on accountability at a time when they should be presenting themselves as leaders determined to achieve justice for all Sri Lankans."
"By giving Fonseka a seat in parliament and the highest military rank, they threaten the goodwill their government has generated since coming to power," Adam said.
The government should meaningfully demonstrate to the Sri Lankan people and the UN that its serious about accountability and not on the road to a whitewash.
In a consensus resolution at the United Nations human rights council last year, Sri Lanka agreed to establish various mechanisms with the assistance of the international community to investigate abuse allegations.
"Sirisena, however, recently elicited concerns about his commitment to justice by saying that it would not be possible to include foreign judges and prosecutors in a justice mechanism, a key component of the resolution," Adams said.
Fonseka commanded Sri Lankan troops to victory over the Tamil Tigers in 2009 under the former regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa.
But, he later fell out with Rajapaksa over who deserved the credit for guiding the country to the victory and challenged him as the main opposition candidate in the 2010 presidential election.
Immediately after the polls, he was jailed on alleged treason charges by the Rajapaksa regime.
He was eventually released under the international pressure in May 2012.
As many as 100,000 people are thought to have died in the Sri Lankan civil war with LTTE.
The final months of the 26-year war were the most bloody, with the government accused of repeatedly shelling safe zones set up to protect civilians.
