Pillay
Tells ICP
She's Written
to Ban Of
Concern on
Silva as
Senior Adviser
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 13 --
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon and
his spokesman
have for more
than two
weeks told
Inner City
Press that the
selection as
"Senior
Adviser on
Peacekeeping
Operations" of
Shavendra
Silva, whose
Division 58 is
repeatedly
named in
connection
with war
crimes in
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
Panel of
Experts report
on Sri Lanka,
was entirely
up to member
states.
After Inner
City Press
reported on
what Ban
himself said
-- that it was
decided by
member states
-- Sri
Lanka's
Mission to the
UN wrote a
letter of
complaint to
Inner City
Press, sending
a copy to
Ban's
spokesman.
Inner City
Press has
published
and responded
to the letter,
citing only
some of the
many
references to
Silva's
Division 58 in
the report.
On Monday
outside
a General
Assembly
session on
Syria, Inner
City Press
asked UN High
Commission on
Human Rights
Navi Pillay
about the
case, and if
she
thought it
reflected well
on the UN.
Pillay
responded,
on camera and
on the record,
that "It's a
matter of
concern...
my office
keeps a list
of individuals
suspected of
committing
human
rights
violations."
She added, "I
have addressed
a letter
of concern to
the Secretary
General about
this
individual" --
that is,
Silva. Video
here, from
Minute 6:45.
This was
the last
question in
Pillay's UN TV
stakeout.
Afterward,
Inner City
Press
asked Pillay
for copy of
the letter.
She said it
could not be
provided. But
she said what
she said.
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
On February 10
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
about letters
to Ban
concerning
Silva but was
not told of
Pillay's. On
February 13,
Inner City
Press followed
up, asking
Ban's
spokesman
about any
further
consideration
of Silva.
Watch this
site.
, 
