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Elders Speak Out on Sri Lanka August 17th, 2010
The Elders, an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by Nelson Mandela, who offer their collective influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity have recently issued a statement of concern about Sri Lanka.
They are alarmed that since the brutal end to the twenty-five year civil war in May of 2009, Sri Lanka has made no real progress on reconciliation and that the government’s “persecution of critics is ‘terrifying’.” Additionally, the group feels that “Sri Lanka’s disturbing actions [have been] met by ‘deafening global silence’. According to Kofi Annan, a member of the 12-person group, “The international community cannot be selective in its approach to upholding the rule of law and respect for human rights. Impunity anywhere is a threat to international peace and security everywhere.”
