Five years ago, Sri Lanka’s civil war was reaching its bloody crescendo. Over 40,000 people are estimated to have died during the final stages of the war, and more than 480,000 forced to flee their homes.

The end of the conflict, however brutal, had the potential to usher in a period of peace and prosperity for a country whose people have suffered from decades of violence. But sadly, a number of issues, including ongoing human rights abuses, a lack of progress on reconciliation and unresolved allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, are holding back progress. Left unaddressed, they could lead to renewed conflict.

Last November David Cameron promised that he would hold Sri Lanka to account, and push for an Independent International Investigation in Sri Lanka. Now with the March Human Rights Council set to discuss Sri Lanka we are determined to hold him to that promise.

Today, what happened in Sri Lanka joins the other failures of the international community, notably in Rwanda, Srebrenica and Darfur. It is too late to save those who died, but it is not too late to demand justice. Doing so not only offers Sri Lankans a better chance of building lasting peace. It also sends a strong message to those committing war crimes today.

This petition is endorsed and supported by UNA-UK