Shavendra Silva endorsed immunity by US State Dept.
The US State Department will forward a document endorsing diplomatic immunity for Sri Lanka’s deputy permanent representative at the UN Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva, who is facing charges of alleged war crimes in a New York court.
The document certifying immunity for him in terms of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) will be forwarded by his lawyers to the Southern District Court of New York, ‘The Sunday Times’ reports.
This is in response to summons served on Maj. Gen. Silva on September 23, requiring him to respond within 21 days - on or before October 14.
A pro-LTTE lobby initiated the court action through the American University Washington College of Law’s UNROW Human Rights Clinic.
