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S Lanka execution video 'genuine' | S Lanka execution video 'genuine' |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Video apparently showing extra-judicial killings by Sri Lankan troops is genuine, a UN envoy has said. | |
UN special rapporteur Philip Alston said three independent experts had confirmed the video was authentic, renewing calls for a war crime inquiry. | UN special rapporteur Philip Alston said three independent experts had confirmed the video was authentic, renewing calls for a war crime inquiry. |
The footage - which Sri Lanka says is fabricated - shows a man dressed as a soldier shooting a man in the head. | |
It was allegedly filmed in January during the final stages of the bloody conflict with Tamil Tigers rebels. | |
The government in Colombo said it concluded the video was fake after conducting its own investigation. | |
Bodies on ground | |
Mr Alston, the UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial killings, said there was no reason to assume the footage was fake. | |
He said he based his conclusion on reports by independent investigators - with experience in forensics and firearms - who had examined the video. | |
Mr Alston also called on the Sri Lankan government to hold an independent inquiry into possible war crimes committed by both sides of the conflict. | |
It is not clear where the footage, which also shows other bodies on the ground, was taken. | |
The video was provided to the BBC and other media organisations by a group called Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, which said it showed "the reality of the behaviour of the government forces during the war". | The video was provided to the BBC and other media organisations by a group called Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, which said it showed "the reality of the behaviour of the government forces during the war". |
Government troops finally defeated the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) last May after months of fierce fighting. | |
Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka said the video had been taken in January 2009. | Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka said the video had been taken in January 2009. |