Welcome to the Centre for War Victims and Human Rights

Will UN report bring justice for Sri Lanka war victims?

Thursday, 22 October 2015 14:10

Will UN report bring justice for Sri Lanka war victims? By Amantha Perera

UNNICHCHI, Sri Lanka, 2 September 2015 (IRIN) - Thavarasa Utharai says she isn’t exactly sure where Geneva is, but she is anxiously awaiting a report soon to be made public in the Swiss city that is expected to expose war crimes committed during Sri Lanka’s civil war.

After acceding to the Sri Lankan government’s request to delay the report by six months, the Geneva-based United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is scheduled to finally release the results of its investigation within the next two weeks.

Victims like Utharai hope the report will provide information about family members who disappeared during Sri Lanka’s decades-long war, which pitted government forces against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (or Tamil Tigers). Both sides committed abuses.

http://www.irinnews.org/report/101942/will-un-report-bring-justice-for-sri-lanka-war-victims

Book Review on Sri Lanka Genocide & War Crimes

Wednesday, 20 August 2014 10:50 Anton Philip

Book Review: Sri Lanka - Genocide & War Crimes

An Invaluable Reference Book

| by Prof. V. Suryanarayan

Ramu Manivannan, Ed., Sri Lanka – Hiding the Elephant: Documenting Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity (Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Madras, Chepauk, Chennai – 600 005), pp. 976, Price Rs. 2000/-

http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2014/08/book-review-sri-lanka-genocide-and-war.html

The UN Investigation Into Human Rights In Sri Lanka; Its Legal Basis, Nature And Scope

Friday, 15 August 2014 11:35 Anton Philip

A UN investigation into allegations of violations of human rights in Sri Lanka is about to commence. As an aid to public discussion, Friday Forum sets out below information to help the general public understand the legal basis, origin, nature and scope of this inquiry

Frequently Asked Questions on the UN Human Rights Council Resolution (2014) on Sri Lanka

https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-un-investigation-into-human-rights-in-sri-lanka-its-legal-basis-nature-and-scope/

Last Updated on Friday, 15 August 2014 12:33 Read more...

Hidden from view, Sri Lanka is trampling over the rights of its Tamil population The government has

Tuesday, 12 August 2014 07:32 Anton Philip

An article by Edward Mortimer is a former Director of Communications for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, now chairs the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice. Published on The Independent 12^th August 2014

With all the horrors taking place in Gaza, Ukraine, Iraq, and Syria, Sri Lanka has understandably fallen off the international radar. However, what you must know is that this suits Sri Lanka’s President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, just fine.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/hidden-from-view-sri-lanka-is-trampling-over-the-rights-of-its-tamil-population-9662359.html

War Crimes in Sri Lanka - A Report by International Crisis Group on 17th May 2010 Report: 191

Friday, 08 August 2014 09:11 Anton Philip

The Sri Lankan security forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) repeatedly violated international humanitarian law during the last five months of their 30-year civil war. Although both sides committed atrocities throughout the many years of conflict, the scale and nature of violations particularly worsened from January 2009 to the government’s declaration of victory in May. Evidence gathered by the International Crisis Group suggests that these months saw tens of thousands of Tamil civilian men, women, children and the elderly killed, countless more wounded, and hundreds of thousands deprived of adequate food and medical care, resulting in more deaths.

This evidence also provides reasonable grounds to believe the Sri Lankan security forces committed war crimes with top government and military leaders potentially responsible. There is evidence of war crimes committed by the LTTE and its leaders as well, but most of them were killed and will never face justice. An international inquiry into alleged crimes is essential given the absence of political will or capacity for genuine domestic investigations, the need for an accounting to address the grievances that drive conflict in Sri Lanka, and the potential of other governments adopting the Sri Lankan model of counter-insurgency in their own internal conflicts.

Weblink:

http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka/191-war-crimes-in-sri-lanka.aspx