Sri Lankan Ambassador Accused of War Crimes Worked in Brazil for Nearly Two Years

08/29/2017 - 10h30

Advertising

PATRÍCIA CAMPOS MELLO

FROM SÃO PAULO

Spanish prosecutor Carlos Castresana Fernandez, who authored the indictment of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, met with a representative from the Public Prosecutor's Office asking Brazil to go to Interpol so that Sri Lankan ambassador Jagath Jayasuriya can be held in provisional detention.

The case is currently under review.

According to a report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the ambassador is accused of having committed war crimes while commanding government troops during the Sri Lankan civil war in 2009.

Jayasuriya and the troops he supervised are responsible for the deaths of 40,000 civilians. The report holds the general accountable for the bloodshed, torture and systematic rape of prisoners held by the armed forces.

However, Jayasuriya returned to Sri Lanka on Sunday (the 27th), one day before the Mr. Castresana's meeting. The ambassador's departure did not come as a surprise.

"In light of his escape, we must turn to Interpol", Mr. Castresana said.

Jayasuriya was appointed ambassador to Brazil in August of 2015, and took up his post in November of that very year. He is concurrently accredited as Sri Lankan ambassador to Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Chile and Suriname.

"The reward he got for killing 40,000 people was being able to travel through South America", said Mr. Castresana.

On one social media network, Jayasuriya can be seen in pictures at the beach, or swimming with river dolphins in the Amazon.

The ambassador, who took a picture with former president Dilma Rousseff, can also be seen alongside Chilean president Michelle Bachelet as well as Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos, who holds a Nobel Peace Prize.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

Read the article in the original language