Second Arrest inn UK’s Sri Lanka War Crimes Investigation

Police appeal for information

by uknip427 (UK News in Pictures, June 5, 2024

Counter Terrorism detectives investigating allegations of war crimes linked to the Sri Lankan civil war in the early 2000s are appealing for anyone who might have information that could assist their investigation to contact police.
The appeal comes after a second UK-based person was arrested as part of the ongoing Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) investigation into this matter.

Commander Dominic Murphy said: “We know that these crimes have a lasting and significant impact on victims and witnesses and we’ve now made two arrests as part of this investigation. This is a sign of the progress being made by officers, who are looking into these extremely serious crimes.

“As in all serious cases, we need as much eye-witness testimony as possible to continue to build the case. We know that there are people with information about these incidents during the civil war in Sri Lanka who have not yet come forward. We would urge those people to contact police – we will support you, and your information will be treated in the strictest confidence.”

Officers are eager to hear from anyone who may have first-hand information that could assist with the investigation – particularly those who lived in Sri Lanka in the early 2000s, or who had relatives or friends living in Sri Lanka at that time, and have since emigrated.

To provide information, email the War Crimes Team directly via: .

Alternatively, call police in confidence on +44 (0)800 789 321.

A man in his 60s was arrested at an address in south London on 21 November 2023, on suspicion of an offence under Section 51 of the International Criminal Court Act, 2001. He was released from police custody and remains on bail.

This arrest relates to alleged crimes committed during a political rally in Jaffna in late 2001, during which two people were killed.

It followed an arrest in February 2022, when police arrested a 48-year-old man on suspicion of the same offence. This was in connection with the murder of journalist Mylvaganam Nimalarajan who was killed in 2000. That person was released under investigation, with enquiries ongoing.

Both incidents were part of a referral made in 2017 to the Counter Terrorism Policing War Crimes team, which is hosted by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and the investigation remains ongoing.

The CTP War Crimes Team is a small team that has national responsibility for investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity.

It is funded directly by CTP and operates across the country. This ensures frontline officers are not drawn away from local police forces to deal with what is a complex and specialist area of police work.

The joint police and CPS guidelines for assessing referrals (reports to police) relating to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity can be viewed here: https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/war-crimescrimes-against-humanity-referral-guidelines

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Further reading:

  1. USTPAC Applauds U.S. Lawmakers’ Letter-Writing Campaign to Secretary Clinton
  2. Internal Probe Finds UN Culpable of Inaction in Preventing Mass Atrocities in Sri Lanka
  3. UN Internal Review Reinforces the Need for an International Commission

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