Justice for Muttur Campaign

by Action Contre le Faim, June 17, 2008

Launching of the Justice for Muttur campaign

In order to launch the Justice for Muttur campaign effectively, Action contre la Faim stepped up a striking action on the symbolic Human Rights Square of Trocadero, in Paris. 17 ACF staff members were present, representing the 17 aid workers kneeling on the ground, the hands behind their heads. The dramatic scene symbolizing the execution was followed by ACF chairman's calling for an international investigation into the killings.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

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[Sri Lanka *Massacre of Muttur* Don't Forget Them]

Muttur Massacre: ACF Denounces Ineffective Legal Procedures in Sri Lanka

ACF demands an international inquiry into the assassination of its 17 aid workers in Muttur, Sri Lanka

Muttur, Sri Lanka—On August 4, 2006, 17 members of Action Against Hunger / Action Contre la Faim (ACF) were brutally executed while carrying out humanitarian programs in Muttur, Sri Lanka—the most heinous crimes ever committed against a non-governmental organization. Following these atrocities, several legal proceedings were initiated in Sri Lanka, but today, after nearly two years of effort, ACF is forced to recognize the failure of these procedures and the blatant lack of will of the Sri Lankan government to establish the truth.

As a result of these failings, Action Against Hunger has officially left the country, withdrawing from all legal proceedings currently underway in Sri Lanka. ACF sees the launching of an international inquiry as the only reliable means for identifying the perpetrators, and ACF is committed to publicizing the full range of obstacles encountered over the past two years of legal proceedings at the national level.

Two Years of Obstructionism, Smokescreens, and Politicized Proceedings

Following the massacre of Muttur, ACF has closely followed three separate judicial proceedings. Two years into these investigations, the search for truth has been a casualty of obstructionism, the intrusion of politics into the judicial process, a lack of transparency, and even errors. In a recent ACF advocacy report, “The Muttur Massacre: A Struggle for Justice,” ACF publicizes the hurdles that routinely compromised—and ultimately discredited—the possibility of obtaining the truth from Sri Lanka’s national institutions. Only an international investigation can ensure any semblance of truth and guarantee that those responsible are held accountable. ACF calls on France, the European Union, Sri Lanka, and the member countries of the “Tokyo Conference” (USA, Norway, European Union, Japan) to launch an international inquiry into these matters given the severity of these crimes and their importance for international humanitarian law.

Justice for Muttur: A Public Outreach Campaign

To launch the “Justice for Muttur Campaign,” Action Against Hunger mobilized a public awareness event on June 17th in front of a highly visible symbol of human rights in Paris, France (the Parvis des droits de l’Homme). To dramatize and underscore the savagery of the massacre lest we forget the victims and their families, 17 volunteers wearing ACF t-shirts lined up to symbolize the horrific last minutes when 17 ACF aid workers were murdered in 2006.

The Muttur Massacre At a Glance

On August 4, 2006, 17 Action Against Hunger aid workers were murdered in the town of Muttur, north-eastern Sri Lanka. Lined up execution style and shot one by one, the assassination of humanitarian workers indicates that it was an intentionally act of violence. The massacre is the gravest crime carried out against a non-governmental organization and is comparable to a war crime under international law.

For a summary of the case to date as well as more information on ACF's call for an international inquiry, please refer to the press dossier here.

You can also download the entire report: "the Muttur massacre: a struggle for Justice".

Action Against Hunger / Action Contre la Faim (ACF) is an international relief and development organization committed to saving the lives of malnourished children while providing families with sustainable access to safe water and long-term solutions to hunger. Recognized as a world leader in the fight against hunger and malnutrition, ACF has pursued its vision of a world without hunger for 30 years, combating hunger in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity.

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Action contre la Faim asks:

- Civil Society
To support the « Justice for Muttur » campaign.
To sign the ACF petition calling for an international inquiry.

- France
To defend and support ACF in its search for the truth.
To carry the voice of the European Union in its role as President of this Union, in order for Sri Lanka to accept the implementation of a mechanism for an international inquiry.

- Member states of the European Union
To put pressure on Sri Lanka, in order to enable the implementation of a mechanism for an international inquiry into the Muttur tragedy.

- The co-presidents of the Tokyo Conference (United States, Japan, Norway, European Union)
To put pressure on Sri Lanka, in order to enable the implementation of a mechanism for an international inquiry into the Muttur tragedy.
To promote and implement a mechanism for an international inquiry.

- The United Nations Organisation
To support the measures aimed at tackling the impunity of the perpetrators of the Muttur tragedy.
To request the Sri Lankan government to promote Human Rights in its country, through the General Assembly and the Council for Human Rights.

- The Sri Lankan government
To accept international investigators in its country, in order to shed light on the Muttur tragedy.
To tackle the impunity of the perpetrators of the Muttur tragedy alongside ACF.
To promote Human Rights in Sri Lanka.