UN rights experts condemn killing SL aid workers

United Nations, June 9: Two UN experts have joined a growingchorus of voices from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in condemning therecent murder of two workers of the Sri Lankan Red Cross.

''This is another outrageous act in an apparent trend ofdeliberate targeting of aid workers, which severely jeopardises andimpedes their ability to deliver humanitarian assistance in a secureenvironment,'' said Special Representative of the Secretary General onthe situation of human rights defenders Hina Jilani and SpecialRapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions PhilipAlston.

In their statement on the June 1 abduction and murder, the expertsyesterday urged the government to expedite its investigation of thekillings, pointing out that the 2006 killings of 17 aid workers fromAction contre la Faim remain unsolved.

''We urge the government, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) and other armed groups to take all measures to protect aidworkers and provide a secure and conducive environment to thefunctioning of humanitarian assistance,'' the experts said in theirjoint statement.

Earlier this week, Mr Ban condemned the killings, voicing concernabout the security of civilians and aid workers in Sri Lanka andreminding ''all parties in the country that aid workers have a right toprotection at all times,'' according to a statement released by hisspokesperson.

He was joined in this call by UN agencies and their partnersworking in Sri Lanka, who warned that the latest killings were ''anominous sign of an evolving situation in which aid workers are facingincreasing difficulties in delivering assistance to needypopulations.''

UNI