by Freedom from Torture, UK, August 14, 2015
Full report [PDF] — Freedom from Torture Sri Lanka report
All material on report — http://www.freedomfromtorture.org/features/8481
Torture has long been used in Sri Lanka to persecute minorities, crush dissent and stifle civil society. It is deeply entrenched in the fabric of the state and has persisted across the decades regardless of changes in political leadership.
Tainted Peace: Torture in Sri Lanka since 2009, a new report by Freedom from Torture shows that one of the most urgent tasks facing the country’s new leadership will be to eradicate torture by the military and police, which is deeply entrenched and has tainted the country’s peace since May 2009.
Since Freedom from Torture was established in 1985, more than 5,000 Sri Lankans exiled in the UK have been referred to us. In 2014, for the third year in a row, Sri Lanka was the top country of origin for our clients.
Our doctors’ forensic reports (medico-legal reports or MLRs) of the physical and psychological consequences of torture document the ongoing suffering of people at the hands of the Sri Lankan military, police and intelligence services. Together these MLRs show that torture did not end when the fighting stopped.
‘Tainted Peace’ is based on a detailed study of 148 of these MLRs of men and women who were tortured in Sri Lanka between May 2009 and September 2013. Freedom from Torture has continued to receive referrals for Sri Lankans tortured more recently, including in 2014 and 2015.
The Sri Lankan government and the United Nations and wider international community must take urgent action to protect people from torture in Sri Lanka and end impunity for perpetrators.