Al jefe del ejército de Sri Lanka, Shavendra Silva, y su familia inmediata no se les permitirá ingresar a los Estados Unidos debido a la evidencia “creíble” de violaciones de derechos humanos en la guerra civil de 2009.
Según los informes, Silva era el líder de una división del ejército de la ofensiva militar, en la zona de guerra del norte, en Sri Lanka, que luchó contra la organización militante Tamil Tiger que en su intento por alcanzar la independencia había matado a más de 100.000 personas. , VisaGuide.World informa.
El secretario de Estado de EE.UU., Mike Pompeo, dijo que Naciones Unidas y otras organizaciones han encontrado violaciones de derechos cometidas por el teniente general Shavender Silva, y señaló que esta es la razón principal que empujó a Estados Unidos a tomar esta decisión.
“Las denuncias de graves violaciones de los derechos humanos contra Shavendra Silva, documentadas por las Naciones Unidas y otras organizaciones, son graves y creíbles”, dijo Pompeo en un comunicado.
Agregó que el gobierno debe promover los derechos humanos y responsabilizar a las personas por crímenes de guerra y violaciones de derechos humanos.
“We urge the Sri Lankan government to promote human rights, hold accountable individuals responsible for war crimes and human rights violations, advance security sector reform, and uphold its other commitments to pursue justice and reconciliation,” US Secretary of State highlighted.
According to the United Nations report, Silva played a major role in war crimes, which according to some rights groups include the killing of over 40, 000 ethnic Tamils.
But the United States travel ban for Sri Lanka’s army chief has been objected by the Sri Lankan government, who asked the US to reconsider their latest decision.
The government of Sri Lanka said that there are no substantiated or proven allegations of human rights violations against Silva.
“It is disappointing that a foreign government should question the prerogative of the democratically elected president to call upon persons with proven expertise to hold key positions on national security-related matters,” Sri Lanka’s government protested in a statement.
However, US Secretary of State said that the United States will continue to maintain security cooperation with Sri Lanka.
He said that he values the partnership with the Sri Lankan government and the long-standing democratic tradition that they share with the Sri Lankan people.
The initiative for an investigation about the conduct of troops of Sri Lanka during the final months of the war with Tamils has been cancelled by Sri Lanka’s government.