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  • UK: Halt Deportations of Tamils to Sri Lanka
    New York) – The United Kingdom should suspend deportations of ethnic Tamil asylum seekers to Sri Lanka and immediately review its policies and information about the country’s rights situation used to assess their claims, Human Rights Watch said today. Research by Human Rights Watch has found that some returned Tamil asylum seekers from the United Kingdom have been subjected to arbitrary arrest and torture upon their return to Sri Lanka.
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  • Sri Lanka: Army Inquiry a Delaying Tactic
    (New York) – The Sri Lankan army’s announcement that it had appointed a five-member court of inquiry to investigate allegations that its forces committed serious violations of the laws of war appears to be another government delaying tactic in the face of mounting international pressure, Human Rights Watch said today. The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva is expected to discuss at its next session a resolution on the lack of accountability for violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by government forces and the secessionist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the final months of their armed conflict, which ended in May 2009. The session begins February 27, 2012.
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  • Letter on Sri Lanka to Permanent Representatives of Human Rights Council Member and Observer States
    Your Excellency, We write to urge your delegation to work with other member and observer states of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) to bring the issue of accountability for wartime abuses in Sri Lanka onto the agenda of the Council during its March 2012 session. Almost three years after the end of the military conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the government has not kept its commitments to the people of Sri Lanka, the UN Secretary-General, and the Human Rights Council to undertake credible measures to provide justice and accountability for the widespread and serious wartime abuses.
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  • Sri Lanka: Women’s Insecurity in the North and East
    Women in Sri Lanka’s predominantly Tamil-speaking north and east are facing a desperate lack of security in the aftermath of the long civil war. Today many still live in fear of violence from various sources. Those who fall victim to it have little means of redress. Women’s eco- nomic security is precarious, and their physical mobility is limited. The heavily militarised and centralised control of the north and east – with almost exclusively male, Sin- halese security forces – raises particular problems for women there in terms of their safety, sense of security and ability to access assistance. They have little control over their lives and no reliable institutions to turn to. The gov- ernment has mostly dismissed women’s security issues and exacerbated fears, especially in the north and east. The international community has failed to appreciate and re- spond effectively to the challenges faced by women and girls in the former war zone. A concerted and immediate effort to empower and protect them is needed.
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  • Sri Lanka Report Falls Short
    The final report of Sri Lanka’s Lesson Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), released publicly today, acknowledges serious human rights problems in Sri Lanka but falls short of fully addressing the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the final phases of the conflict between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Amnesty International said today. “A preliminary review of the report suggests that it acknowledges the very serious human rights problems in Sri Lanka. But where it appears to really falter is in ignoring the serious evidence of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other violations of the laws of war by government forces, even though the report highlights the serious and systematic violations committed by the LTTE,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director.
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  • Death threats against newspaper editor
    Reporters Without Borders has written an open letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa urging him to take whatever measures are necessary to protect Frederica Jansz, the editor of The Sunday Leader, and to ensure that those responsible for last week’s death threats against her are arrested. The threatening letter Jansz received on 27 October was prompted by her 2009 interview with Gen. Sarath Fonseka, a former army commander and presidential candidate in 2010, in which Fonseka accused defence minister Gotabhaya Rajapaksa of ordering soldiers to kill Tamil Tiger rebels who wanted to surrender. This is not the first time Jansz has been threatened.
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  • Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation
    The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) was appointed by His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa in terms of the Presidential Warrant dated 15 th May 2010.1 The Commission’s mandate was to look back at the conflict Sri Lanka suffered as well as to look ahead for an era of healing and peace building in the country. Sri Lanka now faces a moment of unprecedented opportunity. Rarely does such an opportunity come along without equally important attendant challenges. This is especially true of any meaningful effort towards post-conflict peace building following a protracted conflict. Sri Lanka’s case is no exception. Terrorism and violence have ended. Time and space have been created for healing and building sustainable peace and security so that the fruits of democracy and citizenship can be equitably enjoyed by all Sri Lankans. To this end, the success of ending armed conflict must be invested in an all-inclusive political process of dialogue and accommodation so that the conflict by other means will not continue.
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  • President personally phones newspaper’s chairman to threaten him
    Reporters Without Borders firmly condemns the threats that President Mahinda Rajapaksa made in a phone call to the chairman of The Sunday Leader, Lal Wickrematunge, on 19 July because of an article reporting that China had given the president and his son, parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, money to be used “at their discretion.” “We are extremely shocked that the president personally phones journalists in order to threaten them.” Reporters Without Borders said. “It is unacceptable that The Sunday Leader, Sri Lanka’s only independent English-language newspaper, should be subjected to such pressure. If the president disagrees with an article, he can respond to it and explain himself in the media. That is how issues are discussed in a democracy.
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  • The Politics of Representations of Mass Atrocity in Sri Lanka: Challenges to Justice and Recovery
    Within the legal framework of international law, the representation of mass atrocity is expressed through the categories of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. However, these conceptual categories are applied within particular political and ideological fields that must be critiqued in order to reach an inclusive representation of truth about mass atrocity. The focus of this paper will be on the representations of mass atrocity in Sri Lanka, and will demonstrate that ideology has determined how truth is perceived, and how justice and recovery are envisaged. Approaching this task through a hermeneutic of suspicion allows a more accurate representation to emerge within the political imagination, and indicates more comprehensive justice and recovery measures to be pursued.
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  • Report of the Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka
    On 22 June 2010, the Secretary-General announced the appointment of a Panel of Experts to advise him on the implementation of the joint commitment included in the statement issued by the President of Sri Lanka and the Secretary-General at the conclusion of the Secretary-General’s visit to Sri Lanka on 23 March 2009. In the Joint Statement, the Secretary-General “underlined the importance of an accountability process”, and the Government of Sri Lanka agreed that it “will take measures to address those grievances”. The Panel’s mandate is to advise the Secretary- General regarding the modalities, applicable international standards and comparative experience relevant to an accountability process, having regard to the nature and scope of alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law during the final stages of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka. The Secretary-General appointed as members of the Panel Marzuki Darusman (Indonesia), Chair; Steven Ratner (United States); and Yasmin Sooka (South Africa). The Panel formally commenced its work on 16 September 2010 and was assisted throughout by a secretariat.
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  • Elections and Minorities: Present Problems and Alternatives for the Future
    May 2010 marks the first anniversary of the end of the war. Since the defeat of the LTTE, Sri Lanka had a Presidential Election in January 2010 and will have Parliamentary Elections on 8th!April 2010. These two national elections held in a post war context are significant since all citizens will be able to vote without hindrance. Both these national elections, held less than three months apart from each other, set several precedents. As with the Presidential Election in January, in the forthcoming Parliamentary Elections in April there will be polling centres in former LTTE controlled areas such as Killinochchi. Candidates from different political parties, including the presidential candidates have been able to campaign in former LTTE-controlled areas. Furthermore, the Presidential Elections also witnessed a major effort by all candidates to canvass minority votes, with many politicians and supporters traveling to and campaigning in minority dominant areas particularly in the North and East.
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  • People’s Tribunal on Sri Lanka -14-16 January 2010
    The request to conduct a Peoples’ Tribunal came from the Irish Forum for Peace in Sri Lanka, in a letter dated 19.11.09. The Forum claimed that from the time that the war began in July 2006 through April 2009, according to United Nations internal documents, air raids and the use of heavy weaponry resulted in the death of 116 people per day. British and French mainstream media reported that during the final few weeks 20,000 Tamil people were killed. There were numerous accusations that Sri Lankan security forces were guilty of violating the Geneva Conventions on warfare and of having committed gross war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly during the last five months of the war, between January and May 2009. The charges included the bombing of civilian habitations, hospitals, and government-proclaimed ‘safety zones’ or ‘no fire zones’ by security forces, causing innumerable deaths of civilians, doctors and aid workers. Additionally, the charges also included depriving the population of essential services such as food, water, and health facilities in war zones, and other grave crimes against humanity.
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  • Key Challenges for Media after War’s End
    All through a quarter-century-long civil war, Sri Lanka witnessed a deeply polarised political environment in which media tended to become a target of systematic abuse and attack. With the government and the principal armed groups involved in the conflict giving little latitude to the possibility of a negotiated solution, media were actively dissuaded from pursuing a process of social dialogue that could potentially explore alternatives to the strategy of war. At the same time, there was an active denial of space for exploring critical stories about the individuals and institutions involved in the war effort.
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  • On the findings of the investigation with respect to the effective implementation of certain human rights conventions in Sri Lanka
    The investigation with respect to the effective implementation of certain human rights conventions in Sri Lanka was initiated by the Commission Decision of 14 October 2008 (OJEU L277/34 of 18 October 2008) pursuant to Article 18(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 980/2005.1 Article 16(2) of Regulation (EC) 980/2005 provided for the temporary withdrawal of the special incentive arrangement referred to in Section 2 of Chapter II of that Regulation (the "GSP+" treatment), if the national legislation incorporating those conventions referred to in Annex III of the Regulation which had been ratified in fulfilment of the requirements of Article 9(1) and (2) was not effectively implemented.
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  • PHR Calls for Inquiry into Detention of Doctors and War Crimes in Sri Lanka
    Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) believes that the detention of three Sri Lankan doctors is an attempt to suppress reports about the humanitarian crisis, civilian casualties, and attacks on hospitals during the recent routing of Tamil separatist forces in Sri Lanka. "In the context of indiscriminate attacks on civilians and the sealing off of the conflict zone, PHR is calling for an international Commission of Inquiry to investigate possible war crimes in Sri Lanka by all parties," stated Frank Donaghue, PHR's CEO.
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  • Victory but not peace
    The Sri Lankan army is headed for a final victory over the remnants of the once formidable conventional forces of the Tamil Tigers. Unlike previous military successes for the government side in the quarter century of civil war which has both blighted and brutalised the island, this one seems likely to end by depriving the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the LTTE, of any geographical base. The word "final", of course, begs questions. A movement which can claim the grim distinction of having invented suicide bombing and other vicious techniques of modern terrorism, which retains a degree of popular support in the Tamil areas, and which still commands the allegiance of many in the Tamil diaspora, will not give up easily.
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  • The State of human rights in Sri Lanka in 2009
    From its work over the last 15 years, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has concluded that what exists in Sri Lanka today is a situation of abysmal lawlessness, resulting in the zero status of citizens. The word “abysmal” is here used in its ordinary meaning to mean limitless, bottomless, immeasurably bad and wretched to the point of despair. Lawlessness of this sort differs from simple illegality or disregard for law, which to differing degrees can happen anywhere. Lawlessness is abysmal when law ceases to be a reference. What would normally be crime ceases to be thought of crime and lawlessness becomes routine. This kind of abysmal lawlessness manifests itself in “arrests”, “detentions”, and “trials” that require no legal justification.
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  • Report to Congress on Incidents During the Recent Conflict in Sri Lanka
    This report is submitted pursuant to the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-32), which directed the Secretary of State to submit a report ―detailing incidents during the recent conflict in Sri Lanka that may constitute violations of international humanitarian law or crimes against humanity, and, to the extent practicable, identifying the parties responsible.‖ The alleged incidents set forth herein occurred in the context of the final months of an armed conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which has been listed as a terrorist organization by the United States since 1997. While the conflict lasted intermittently for 25 years, this report focuses on incidents that occurred from January 2009, when fighting intensified, through the end of May 2009, when Sri Lankan government forces defeated the LTTE. It does not provide, nor is it intended to be, a comprehensive portrayal of the conflict.
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  • Appeal to citizens in Europe, and to their political representatives the MP’s and MEP’s
    Appeal to citizens in Europe, and to their political representatives the MP’s and MEP’s, to make an open stand against the full scale military onslaught on the Vanni, Sri Lanka, that is taking place now with terrible humanitarian consequences for the Tamil speaking population who have decided to live in this area. Moreover, to demand that the Sri Lankan government immediately overturn their order for the NGO’s to leave the Vanni – which has effectively cleared all international witnesses to the coming massacre.
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  • South Asia Human Rights Index – Rank 1 : Sri Lanka
    Full Document Preface The South Asia Human Rights Index 2008 covers key human rights events of 2007 in the South Asian sub-region. This is the second regional report by ACHR. This series is the first of its kind by any organization or institution in the South Asian sub-region.  
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  • Report of the Representative of the Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons
    The Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Walter Kälin, conducted an official mission to Sri Lanka from 14 to 21 December 2007, by invitation of the Sri Lankan Government and pursuant to his mandate contained in resolution 6/32 of the Human Rights Council. His main objective was to engage in dialogue with the Government with a view to improving the protection and ensuring the full enjoyment of the human rights of the estimated 577,000 persons displaced in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, his assessment identifies key obstacles and conditions necessary to enable internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sri Lanka to find durable solutions.
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  • The International Seminar on The Ethnic Conflict in Sri lanka
    Message from the Chairman I am so happy and privileged to send this message on behalf of the committee of management of the Global Peace Support Group. Global Peace Support Group is a registered charitable organisation. It’s aim are to act as a non-sectarian and non-political organisation to p romote awareness through discussions and dialogues, corroborating with human rights institutions and other similar organisations to address the conflict that besets different parts of the world.
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  • Pax Americana, the EU, and the Tamil Resistance Movement (TRM)
    The European Union (EU) has banned the Tamil Resistance Movement (TRM) from Europe as a terrorist movement on May 29 2006.1 The TRM includes the LTTE, organisations and individuals being supportive of the LTTE. In Tamil, the term iyakkam, ‘the movement’, is commonly used. The ban was preceded by a joint motion on May 17 2006.2 They are made object of a political comment in the following text.
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  • Lest We Forget: Massacres of Tamils – 1956 – 2001 Part I
    The State sponsored violence against the Tamil people in the island of Sri Lanka has a very long history. A startling aspect of this State violence is the large scale massacres of Tamils. Some of them are so spectacular that they are etched in the Tamil psyche. Prior to the signing of the February 2002 ceasefire agreement, there have been hundreds of such massacres. After a two year lull, the violent campaign by the military was relaunched in 2004. This report documents a selected number the massacres prior to the signing of the ceasefire agreement in 2002. Recording the massacres carried out since 2004 will be a separate project.
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  • Sri Lanka – Nine recommendations for improving the state of the press freedom
    A few months before his murder on 31 May 2004, Aiyathurai Nadesan, a correspondent in Batticaloa (the eastern part of the island) for several Tamil media, who received the prize for “Best Tamil Journalist” in 2000, had told Reporters without Borders: «We are always caught in the crossfire. It is very hard for us to check our information with both the security forces and the Tamil Tigers. And when a local news article is released from Colombo, we may face reprisals in the field.» His statements attest to how difficult working conditions are for journalists in Sri Lanka.
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