The United Nations Human Rights Council has voted to open a probe into possible war crimes committed in Sri Lanka during the final phase of a military assault to crush Tamil separatists. Both sides are accused of carrying out serious abuses during the 26-year conflict, which ended in 2009. The council’s high commissioner, Navi Pillay, requested the inquiry into both the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels, or LTTE.

Navi Pillay: “Almost five years since the end of the conflict, it is important for the Human Rights Council to recall the magnitude and gravity of the violations alleged to have been committed at that time by the government and by the LTTE (Tigers of Tamil Eelam) which left thousands of civilians killed, injured or missing. Failure to address the grief and trauma among victims and survivors undermines confidence in the state and reconciliation.”