by Mark Townsend, ‘The Guardian,’ Manchester, July 21, 2018 The UN has been sending alleged war criminals to act as peacekeepers in conflict zones, a confidential report claims. The document, seen by the Observer, and sent to the UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations last month, claims that senior Sri Lankan officers accused of war crimes have… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Human Rights
The Phenomenon of Disappearances in Sri Lanka
by M.C.M. Iqbal, Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong, July 2018 THE-PHENOMENON-OF-DISAPPEARANCES-IN-SRI-LANKA.pdf (humanrights.asia) 1.Introduction Since independence, emergency powers have been repeatedly invoked in Sri Lanka. Although the stated objective of imposing emergency rule is the maintenance of law and order, emergency powers have often enabled the police and the security forces to act with scant… Read more »
The Office for Reparations
An empty shell? by South Asian Centre for Legal Studies, Colombo, July 4, 2018 A few days ago, the Office for Reparations Bill was gazetted. According to the Bill, the Office is expected to play a role in the formulation and implementation of reparations policies for violations of human rights and humanitarian law that have… Read more »
The Chronic and the Entrenched
Ethno-Religious Violence in Sri Lanka by Gehan Gunatilleke, International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo, 2018 http://ices.lk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/The-Chronic-and-the-Entrenched-Mr.-Gihan-Book-FINAL-WEB-PDF.pdf …This study set out to establish the hypothesis that ethno-religious violence in Sri Lanka is ‘entrenched’ within cultural, socio-political and state structures, and requires radical interventions to overcome. It first reflected on the nature of communal violence in Sri… Read more »
A Lingering Nightmare of the Past
and Perpetuation of Human Rights Abuses in a Post-Civil War Sri Lanka by DoYun Kim, Amnesty International USA Asia Advocacy and Government Relations Intern, ‘The Medium,’ July 5, 2018 On June 20, 2018, the House Foreign Affairs Global Human Rights Subcommittee hosted a hearing titled“Human Rights Concerns in Sri Lanka.” After the hearing, it is evident that… Read more »
Over 60,000 People Disappeared
Here Are the Families Trying to Find Them by Whitney Kimball, ‘Jezebel’ The Slot, New York, NY, July 1, 2018 If you pass a protest for “the Disappeared” today, it’s probably not referencing the migrant families separated by Trump’s zero-tolerance policy, but another massive population of people separated from their families whom we don’t hear… Read more »
House Subcommittee Hearing on “Human Rights Concerns in Sri Lanka”
by US House Subcommittee on Global Human Rights, Washington, DC, June 20, 2018 https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing/subcommittee-hearing-human-rights-concerns-in-sri-lanka/ https://docs.house.gov/Committee/Calendar/ByEvent.aspx?EventID=108444
Amnesty Statement on Human Rights Concerns in Sri Lanka
by Amnesty International USA, June 20, 2018 On June 20th, 2018, Amnesty International USA submitted a Congressional statement for the record in anticipation of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee Hearing on “Human Rights Concerns in Sri Lanka.” Please find a link below to the statement for the record: AIUSA-Statement-on-Human-Rights-Concerns-in-Sri-Lanka-Final-1.pdf Date: June 20, 2018 RE: House Foreign… Read more »
Rep. Sherman’s Remarks at the House Hearing on“Human Rights Concerns in Sri Lanka,”
by Rep. Brad Sherman, June 20, 2018 “… I am not a member of this subcommittee, but I have been very involved in Sri Lanka as ranking member of the Asia Subcommittee, which had its own hearing hence delaying me from being here. Although Sri Lanka’s civil war ended in 2009, Sri Lanka’s northern and… Read more »
Army Top Brass Accountable for Violations Further Up the Ladder
by Athula Vithanage, Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, Germany, June 18, 2018 The Sri Lankan government, which continuously avoid probing military implicated in committing serious human rights violations, has once again rewarded them with plum posts. Brigadier Deshapriya Gunawardena and Major General Duminda Keepetiwalana are those most recent recipients of military promotions. Brigadier Gunawardena appointed… Read more »
Resolution of 2nd Ottawa Conference
On Tamil Nationhood & Genocide in Sri Lanka Final Resolutions – 2nd International Conference – Ottawa 2018 – English final At the end of the 2nd International Conference on Tamil Nationhood and Genocide in Sri Lanka, held in Ottawa from May 5th-7th, 2018, the organizing committee aims to find a sustainable political solution that addresses… Read more »
The Reverberating Effects of Explosive Weapons
When the bombs fall silent by Action on Armed Violence, May 29, 2018 The long-term impact of explosive violence is known to be devastating, but is still relatively poorly understood. With civilian deaths from explosive weapons increasing each year, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) conducted research into the reverberating effects of manufactured explosive weapons, so… Read more »
Counter Terrorism & Legal Certainty
by Gehan Gunatilleke, The Bar Association Law Journal, Colombo, 2017 Counter-Terrorism_and_Legal_Certainty
UN & IC Need to Ensure Justice for Tamils
And their existence in Sri Lanka by Thambu Kanagasabai, LLM [Lond.] Former Lecturer in Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Tamils have been inhabiting Sri Lanka for more than 2500 years with ‘Saivaism’ [Hinduism] also existing ‘Centuries before the arrival of Vijaya in BC 547” as stated by Paul Peiris in his book [Nagadipa and Buddhist… Read more »
CPA: Making the Case for an Office for Reparations
by Centre for Policy Analysis, Colombo, June 4, 2018 June 4th 2018, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Reparations are an essential part of transitional justice and focus on recognising and repairing past abuses. In 2015, the Government of Sri Lanka recognised the right to reparations by committing to the establishment of an Office for Reparations through at the… Read more »
ITJP: Families of the Disappeared
by International Truth & Justice Project, South Africa, accessed June 6, 2018 English translation of interviews with families of the disappeared. http://www.itjpsl.com/reports/disappear-site
Misery as Strategy
The Human Cost of Conflict by International Crisis Group, Brussels, May 31, 2018 In conflicts across the world, levels of displacement and hunger are increasing. The tactics used by leaders, governments and non-state armed groups have much to do with that misery. From Syria to Yemen, from South Sudan to Venezuela, war and political crisis… Read more »
Adayaalam: Tamil Political Prisoners
Suggestions for a Comprehensive Legal Policy Approach by Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research, Jaffna, May 7, 2018 Issue Brief #3 ACPR-Issue-Brief-No.3-Tamil-Political-Prisoners-Suggestions-for-a-Comprehensive-Legal-Policy-Approach-1 I. Introduction Mr. Satchithanantham Ananthasuthakaran, sentenced to life under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in 2017, was given three hours on the 18th of March 2018 to take part in his wife’s funeral at their residence in… Read more »
How Long Can the GoSL Hoodwink the UN?
And the International Community? by Kumarathasan Rasingam, May 31, 2018 The Sri Lankan State runs on Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism, the Maha Sanga and the Buddhist Clergy. The Sri Lankan State has to obtain the blessings of these people to enact any laws regarding devolution of powers to the Tamils in the North and East of Sri… Read more »
Police, Indian Conglomerate in Spotlight
After protesters gunned down by Ana Pararajasingham, ‘Asia Times,’ Bangkok, May 28, 2018 On Tuesday, May 22, 13 protesters were killed by police in the south Indian city of Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, shocking the public. The protest, which was peaceful but persistent, was directed at Sterlite Copper, a company owned by UK-based Vedanta Ltd, founded… Read more »