A UN panel denounced persistent reports of torture...

A UN panel denounced persistent reports of torture in Sri Lanka and criticised the impunity enjoyed by security forces for crimes committed in the conflict with the Tamil Tiger rebels. "The committee remains concerned at persistent reports of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment of detainees by law enforcement officials and members of the armed forces," the UN Human Rights Committee said in its report on Sri Lanka. "The problem there is the culture of impunity," Nigel Rodley, one of the members of the 18-strong committee, told journalists. "We have been very concerned about the security forces engaging in torture and disappearances and extra-judicial executions, especially during the armed conflict which was the occasion of the previous state of emergency," Rodley commented.