The top human rights official of the United Nations said his office has agreed to delay the release of a report that details the alleged human rights violation committed during the Sri Lankan civil war.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al-Hussein said the decision to delay the presentation of the report was due to Sir Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena agreeing to conduct a thorough domestic investigation about the alleged war crimes.
These war crimes include the brutal killing of thousands of civilians that took place during the civil war that ended in 2009, according to Reuters.
Zeid said this is a "one time only" grant that will postpone the report for six months to give the new Sri Lankan government enough time to carry out its promises to the victims of the war. The report was initially set to be released this April. The release will now be moved to September, according to the Sunday Morning Herald.
"This has been a difficult decision. There are good arguments for sticking to the original timetable and there are also strong arguments for deferring the report's consideration a bit longer", he said.
The commissioner added the additional time might lead to new information that further strengthens the report.
The inquiry started in 2011 after an initial UN report showed that more than 40,000 civilians died as victims of collateral damage in the governments fight to eliminate the Tamil Tiger rebels. This ethnic civil war lasted for more than three decades.
The nationwide election held this January unseated incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa and put Sirisena into office. Immediately after assuming the position as head of state, Sirinesa started repairing the country's war torn reputation in the international community.