CC INVITES APPLICATIONS FROM SUITABLE CANDIDATES

OFFICE ON MISSING PERSONS

In an effort to operationalize the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), the Constitutional Council (CC) has invited applications from candidates suitably qualified in human rights law, international humanitarian law, fact finding, investigations and the ability to provide an humanitarian response.

It would be crucial for the CC to select candidates who could bolster the OMP’S credibility

Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-recurrence, Pablo de Greiff, at the end of his recent visit to Sri Lanka, said it would be crucial for the CC to select candidates who could bolster the OMP’S credibility by their moral standing and probity in the eyes of all communities, their expertise, independence and the ability to collaborate with all stakeholders and work expeditiously.

“Finally, I wish to mention the progress achieved in setting up – after a long delay – the Office of Missing Persons (OMP). While the process was protracted and involved insufficient communication with the public, the law has been enacted. I was informed that the selection of commissioners has just started. I understand that this will involve accepting self-nominations from the public at large, which is a positive development,” Mr. de Greiff told a news conference on Monday at the conclusion of his visit.

While the process was protracted and involved insufficient communication with the public, the law has been enacted.

The OMP is mandated to trace the fate of those who have gone missing mainly during the armed conflict in Sri Lanka.