Controversial major general from Sri Lanka is now a diplomat in Frankfurt Berlin’s position against impunity put to the test: No room for suspected war criminal in Germany!

The Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) appealed on Thursday to the Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, not simply to accept the nomination of a suspected war criminal from Sri Lanka as a diplomat in Germany. "Major general Jagath Dias must be declared a "persona non grata”, as long as there is serious suspicion that he has been responsible for war crimes in Sri Lanka”, demanded the GfbV Asia consultant, Ulrich Delius. "If the German government takes seriously its struggle against impunity, then it must act now. It must not put up with this provocation!” The controversial major general is to commence duty tomorrow as diplomat at the General Consulate of Sri Lanka in Frankfurt.

Jagath Dias was the commander of the 57th army division, which played a decisive part in the bloody crushing of the movement of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The United Nations state that more than 7,000 civilians were killed in the ruthless fighting in the first four months of 2009. Other observers incline to the view that there have been more than 20,000 civilians killed. The army is accused of using heavy artillery in densely populated areas, of deliberately shelling hospitals and of abducting suspected supporters of the Liberation Tigers. But the Liberation Tigers are also accused of war crimes.

His nomination as diplomat in Germany is however clearly not just a reward. The newspaper "The Nation on Sunday”, which is close to the government, explained his nomination with the words that he was being sent to Germany to stem the tide of active or potentially dangerous terrorists. ”A strange conception of a diplomat’s work, which does not match the usual rules of diplomatic activity”, warned Delius. Dias’ activities will soon be attracting the attention of the security services in Germany if the diplomat begins to monitor and intimidate refugees in exile who are critical of the government.

The demand of German and other European states for an independent investigation of possible war crimes has been brusquely rejected by Sri Lanka’s government. Unfortunately no legal action can be taken in Germany to clear up the possible responsibility of Jagath Dias for serious braches of human rights, regretted Delius. In accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Judicature Law the diplomat enjoys immunity in Germany.

For further information and interviews please approach Ulrich Delius at u.delius@gfbv.de