Office of War Crime Issues of the U.S. Department of State is following closely the War Crime Issues in Sri Lanka

Some limited activity at State Department:
Tamils For Justice cautions the Tamil Diaspora not to be euphoric.

Office of War Crime Issues of the U.S. Department of State is following closely the War Crime Issues in Sri Lanka

Office of War Crime Issues is one of the offices of the U.S. State Department that reports directly to the Secretary of State. This office advises the Secretary of State directly and formulates U.S. policy responses to atrocities committed in areas of conflict and elsewhere throughout the world. This office coordinates U.S. Government support for war crimes accountability in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Iraq, and other regions where crimes have been committed against civilian populations on a massive scale. This office works closely with other governments, international institutions, and non-government organizations, and with the courts themselves, to see that international and domestic war crimes tribunals succeed in their efforts to bring those responsible for such crimes to justice.

The Ambassador-at-large for War Crimes Issues heads this section. A range of diplomatic, legal, economic, military, and intelligence tools are available to this position to help secure peace and stability, ensure accountability, and build the rule of law in the world. Current Ambassador-at-large for war Crimes Issues is Clint Williamson.

Williamson has 7 years experience as a Trial Attorney at the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, Netherlands. While at the ICTY, he supervised investigations and field operations in the Balkans, compiled indictments, and prosecuted cases at trial. Among the cases handled by Ambassador Williamson were those against Slobodan Milosevic and the notorious paramilitary leader Zeljko Raznatovic, aka “Arkan,” as well as cases arising from the Yugoslav Army attacks on Vukovar and Dubrovnik, Croatia. Prior to joining the ICTY, Ambassador Williamson served as a Trial Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice Organized Crime Section and as an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans.

Office of the War Crime Issues have shown interest in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, International Criminal Tribunal for Ruwanda, Special Court for Sierra Leone, Iraq High Tribunal, Khmer Rouge Tribunal, International Criminal Court and the Special tribunal for Lebanon.

From 2002, the Office of War Crime Issues is closely following events in Sri Lanka along with Darfur, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burma and Timor-Leste.

For details:
http://www.state.gov/s/wci/

Comments on Tamil Canadian: [ 4 ]:

Sri from Australia on Sep 02, 2008 7:18:44 GMT

US State Department's slow process on human rights violators to implicate them and try them in The Hague in the past had been the real reason for more and more people in the world to abuse human beings. It is crystal clear in Sri Lanka that human rights have been violated, rather I would term it as bastardized, by the government and the figures are well known, Rajapakses and the army commander. A proactive or rather a timely action on the human rights violation would help many more thousands of Tamils being killed, maimed and tortured. A decision delayed is a decision denied. Human rights violators should be arrested sooner than later to prevent more and more happening.

Maheswaran from Canada on Sep 02, 2008 6:38:30 GMT

If U.S.A is really interested to prevent war crimes it should arrest its citizens Gothabaya Rajapakse and green Card Holder General Fonseka and put them in jail in Cuba.It should send its fleet and army to Colombo harbour and order the Sinhala Army and paid killers to withdraw from the North East province and back to Sinhala Rata. This should be like the way it happened in East Timor which was temporarily occupied by Australia. In Sri Lanka too U.S.A could ask Australia to come in and occupy the North East Provinces to stop the killings and organize a referendum in those 2 provinces so the people there can decide what they want. Then only we can bodly say that U.S.A is for DEMOCRACY.Will ?

Richy2 from United Kingdom on Sep 02, 2008 3:30:06 GMT

EXODUS OF TAMILS WITHIN NORTHEAST OF TAMIL 'EELAM' AND TAMIL-DIASPORA LIVING OVERSEAS HAVE THE REPOSITORY OF RECORDS OF HOW BUREAUCRATIC-STATE- SPONSORED-PERSECUTION LED TO THE DEATH OF MORE THAN 250,000 PEOPLE AND EXODUS OF MORE THAN 700,000 WITHIN AND OUTSIDE SINHALA-SRI LANKA.

Richy2 from United Kingdom on Sep 02, 2008 3:17:17 GMT

NUMEROUS-EVIDENCES FOR WAR CRIMES AT INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURTS OF JUSTICE IN HAGUE: EXODUS OF PEOPLE WITHIN NORTHEAST OF TAMIL EELAM AND TAMIL-DIASPORA LIVING OVERSEAS WILL BE IN HAGUE TO HEAR THE 'VERDICT' OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURTS OF JUSTICE FOR 'CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY' IN NORTHEAST OF TAMIL 'EELAM.'