Australia extends immunity to visiting Heads of State
The Gillard government has cautioned that President Mahinda Rajapaksa enjoys diplomatic immunity in Australia, amid attempts to have him charged in Victoria over alleged war crimes.
Attorney-General Robert McClelland, who must consent to charges against Mr Rajapaksa levelled in Australian, is also yet to receive a request from the lawyer of a Sri Lankan-born man who filed an indictment against the head of state in the Melbourne Magistrates Court.Tamil man Arunachalam Jegapheeswaran, who became an Australian citizen in 1990, wants Mr Rajapaksa charged for alleged human rights violations.
Mr McClelland’s spokesman said Mr Rajapaksa, who is in Perth for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, enjoyed legal protection while in Australia.
"Australia has obligations under international law including the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations which extends immunity to visiting heads of state," he said.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Australia would continue to apply pressure to Sri Lanka to face up to human rights concerns arising from its long civil war.
"On the broader issue of human rights, Australia and like-minded countries have been urging and will continue to urge Sri Lanka to address the serious allegations that have been made of human rights violations during the end stages of the conflict in the country," Ms Gillard told ABC Radio.
The Australian Federal Police told The Australian Online it had received a referral regarding the allegations against Rajapaksa, who today arrived in the country for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
An AFP spokeswoman said the case was currently being evaluated.
Jegapheeswaran is being represented by high-profile Melbourne lawyer Rob Stary.
A week ago, the International Commission of Jurists submitted a dossier of evidence and eye witness testimonies of war crimes committed in Sri Lanka to the AFP and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
It alleged that Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia Thisara Samarasinghe had also been responsible for war crimes.(The Australian)
Source: www.island.lk, 26/10/2011
