A U.S. judge has thrown out a lawsuit against Sri Lanka's president over killings allegedly carried out by his forces during the country's civil war. The Obama administration argued he was immune from litigation.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled Wednesday that she did "not take this step lightly" and was shocked by allegations of human rights abuses in the suit. She said her ruling was no reflection on the merits of the case, but she is required to dismiss the suit against President Mahinda Rajapaksa because the State Department says he has immunity as a head of state.
The suit was brought by relatives of Tamil Tiger rebels and a humanitarian worker who was assisting them. They claim all were killed by government security forces under Rajapaksa's control.
