Smith: Switch gears, Mr. President. Fight to establish Syrian war crimes court &hold both Assad and the rebels who commit egregious crimes accountable There is a non-lethal way to help ensure that Bashar al-Assad and other perpetrators of atrocities in Syria are held to account not someday far in the future but beginning now. The… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Human Rights
TGTE: UN Rights Chief’s Visit to Sri Lanka
“The visit enabled Ms.Pillay to see militarization of Tamil civilian lives, disappearances & sexual violence against Tamil women by the army” ‘EIN PressWire’s World News,’ New York, September 7, 2013 **** Highlights of the Statement: 1) Failure of rule of law, reinforce the need for international investigation. 2) Need of the hour is international protection… Read more »
Stop Harassing Victims, Activists
by Human Rights Watch, New York, September 3, 2013 The Sri Lankan government should promptly investigate allegations that security forces harassed people who met with the visiting United Nations human rights chief, Navi Pillay, during her recent trip to the country, Human Rights Watch said today. Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights, expressed concerns at… Read more »
UN Official Criticizes Sri Lanka over Human Rights
Video of UNHCHR’s speech, plus Q & A at http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/34698-signs-of-sri-lanka-moving-towards-authoritarianism-pillay.html Text of UNHCHR’s speech at http://un.lk/news/opening-remarks-by-un-high-commissioner-for-human-rights-navi-pillay/ COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The United Nations human rights chief chastised Sri Lanka’s government on Saturday, saying it is showing signs of becoming more authoritarian despite the end of the country’s long civil war more than four years ago. In a… Read more »
Amnesty Media Advisory on Disappearances
Amnesty disappearances Aug 27 2013 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ADVISORY AI index: ASA 37/020/2013 27 August 2013 Sri Lanka: Navi Pillay’s visit and Day of the Disappeared Spokespeople and new case studies available On 30 August 2013, the world will mark the International Day of the Disappeared. In Sri Lanka, some 12,000 complaints of enforced disappearances… Read more »
Land Issues in Northern and Eastern Provinces
Mr. Deputy Speaker, my Adjournment Motion that I have proposed to move today deals with nine situations pertaining to land both in the Northern and the Eastern Provinces. Land issues are a matter of grave concern to the Tamil-speaking people, both the Tamil people and the Muslim people in the North and the East. We… Read more »
Bloody Footprints on Sri Lanka
The bloody episode is cited as the latest example of violent repression that threatens to overshadow the Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Colombo in November.
Today Navi Pillay, the United Nations human rights commissioner, arrives in Sri Lanka, amid hopes she will address allegations that President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s regime has intimidated its opponents in the four years since the showdown with Tamil rebels that ended the civil war.
When Public Relations Meets Militarisation
The recent events in Weliweriya and Grandpass reveal more clearly than ever that what Sri Lanka needs is not more commissions, or even arrests. The country needs legal and institutional changes to the system of policing and justice designed to reverse the militarisation and concentration of power that has deepened so dangerously under the Rajapaksas.
Demographic Change in the Tamil Homeland
Sources for the situation, now and in the past — 1.) TamilNet Almost daily reports on enroachment, such as “Border Division of Mannar Sinhalicized” at http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=79&artid=36552 and “Amparai GA, DS Officials Step Up Sinhalicization of Batticalow” at http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=36567 2.) International Crisis Group “Sri Lanka’ North II: Rebuilding Under the Military,” 16 March, 2012 at http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka/220-sri-lankas-north-ii-rebuilding-under-the-military.pdf 3.) TNA MP R…. Read more »
“They Killed My Son”
[The question not asked or answered here is, “WHY did they kill Dr. Manoharan’s son?” and “WHY has the cover-up been so thorough?” — Ed/]
Locked Away: Sri Lanka’s Security Detainees
Amnesty – ‘Locked Away Sri Lanka’s Security Detainees’ 2012 [This report continues the practice of ignoring the ethnic aspects of the situation in Sri Lanka by NEVER mentioning the words ‘Tamil,’ ‘Sinhalese,’ or ‘Muslim.’ This practice seems to be weakening a bit with the attacks on Muslims. — Ed/] SUMMARY The Sri Lankan government won… Read more »
Sencholai Massacre – 7 Years On
by ‘Tamil Guardian,’ London, August 13, 2013 On 14th August 2006, four Sri Lankan Air Force jets flew over the Vanni, dropping sixteen bombs over the Sencholai children’s home in Vallipunam for orphaned girls. Fifty-three Tamil school girls and 3 staff members were killed, and over 150 injured. In a macabre warning of the attacks… Read more »
HRW: No Justice in Aid Worker Massacre
The Sri Lankan government has made no real progress in holding accountable those responsible for the execution style slaying of 17 aid workers seven years ago despite renewed international calls for action. On August 4, 2006, gunmen executed 17 Sri Lankan aid workers – 16 ethnic Tamils, four of them women, and a Muslim – with the… Read more »
Mr. Martin Collacott is Appalled…
The reader who sent this article in remembrance of Black July noted “Satyendra’s response to an article by a former Canadian High Commissioner is a timely reminder to the TNA especially Justice Wigneswaran. Justice Wigneswaran and the TNA to on reflect Satyendra’s thoughts that eloquently summarises the thoughts of the Tamil voters that the present government is moving forward with the plans of colonization developed by former Pres. JR Jayawardene.”
Freedom of the Press 2013
http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2013/sri-lanka Freedom of the Press 2013 Report Sri Lanka Sri Lanka In Sri Lanka the “score moved from 72 to 74 to reflect an increase in verbal threats and intimidation against journalists by government officials, as well as the sale of the Sunday Leader, formerly one of the island’s most independent newspapers, to an owner… Read more »
Rape: Sri Lanka’s Weapon of Genocide
My fellow Tamil women What have you done for peace in the isle? Take off your clothes and open up your vagina For the Sinhala warriors of the land of Buddha – Poem by an Angry Tamil Woman On February 26th 2013, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report on sexual violence perpetrated on Tamil… Read more »
Interview with Callum Macrae
Interview by ‘Tamil Guardian,’ London, July 13, 2013 Tamil Guardian’s correspondent based in Toronto, Canada, caught up with the director of the documentaries ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’ and ‘No Fire Zone – the killing fields of Sri Lanka‘, Callum Macrae, at the sidelines of FETNA 2013, to find out how he viewed Sri Lanka’s reaction to… Read more »
UK Immigration Court Rules on Sri Lanka Human Rights
Based on the evidence presented to them, the judges said they could make some factual findings, such as that between 40,000 and 100,000 Tamil civilians died in in the final days of fighting in 2009…
In terms of current human rights abuses, the UK ruling said, “year on year, the number of such disappearances is increasing during the peace, rather than decreasing”.
Birds of Freedom?
While some scholars argue that recent wars have thrust women into new roles, enabling them to transform their social situations, identities and destinies, others question whether females achieve ‘emancipation’ through active participation in warfare…
Malnutrition Among Northern IDPs
Attached is a report of a project started a year ago to lower malnutrition in IDPs in the Northern Province by 10%, paid for by Japan through the World Bank for US$2.7 million. A year ago the malnutrition figures were: Prevalence of anemia (Hb < 11.0g/dL) among children 0-23 months = 61.60% Prevalence of anemia… Read more »