People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) released its most recent report, "Impunity reigns in Sri Lanka: the Kumarapuram Massacre and Acquittals" during a side session during the Human Rights Council session in Geneva on March 20.
The Sri Lankan health minister laughed off a question about investigating war crimes when speaking to media in Jaffna today. Asked for his thoughts on future war crimes investigations by Tamil journalists, Rajitha Senaratne, said “war crimes? No we don’t agree with war crimes - nobody is there.” The minister further responded “in that case who will investigate about the LTTE war crimes” before laughing and saying “are there any leaders? We have to ask them.” Instead of pursuing accountability, the government will focus on a settlement and devolution the minister said. “We will go for a good...
A booklet on human rights documentation in a post-war context and a report on memorialisation amongst Tamils in the North-East were launched in February at a panel co-hosted by the Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research (ACPR), People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL), and the Forum on Contemporary Issues at the Department of Law at the University of Jaffna. PEARL launched the Tamil translation of their report “Erasing the Past: Repression of Memorialization in Sri Lanka” , which was published in English last year. ACPR launched their booklet “Human Rights Documentation in a Transitional...
Limits must be placed on the number of fishermen from the South using Mullaitivu waters, the Northern Provincial Council said in a resolution last week. In a resolution passed at the council’s 85th sitting, members said the TNA leader, the North’s Chief Minister and Tamil MPs should directly take up the issue with Sri Lanka’s president, prime minister and fisheries minister. The motion was brought by Ravikaran, a representative for Mullaitivu, who mentioned specifically the encroachment of Naiyaaru waters by fishermen from the South. Due to army pressure, 78 boat permits had been granted to...
The British Home Office this week published an updated policy guidance and information note on Sri Lanka aimed at decision makers handling the granting of protection and human rights claims for Tamils. The updated policy guidance, which follows the country guidance of GJ & Others in 2013, stated that there had been "positive developments" since the new government led by President Sirisena came to office and "an improved environment for civil society and human rights defenders has also been reported". Commenting on the new guidance, Jan Jananayagam of Together Against Genocide (TAG) said...
Sri Lanka's appointment of Major General Shavendra Silva, who is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Tamils, to the new position of Adjutant General of the army has sparked widespread criticism. Major General Silva, who commanded the army's 58 division during the final stages of the ethnic conflict in 2009 where tens of thousands of Tamils were massacres by shelling and aerial bombardment of civilian areas, assumed his duties at a ceremony on Thursday at the army's headquarters. "The appointment of Major-General Shavendra Silva, an alleged war criminal, as the chief...
Six army officers who were charged and remanded in custody over the abduction and assault of the Sri Lankan journalist, Keith Noyahr in 2008 were on Thursday released on bail. The magistrate in Mount Lavinia released the officers, who include one army major, on surety bails of 1 million rupees each, Colombo Page reported. Keith Noyahr, an associate editor of The Nation was abducted from just outside him home in Colombo and tortured before being released in May 2008.
During his address at the Kurunegala Defense Services College, the Sri Lankan President stated that no “war hero” would be allowed to stand before an international court. “…nor would any War Hero be deemed an “accused” since no one has been produced in any Court as an accused to this date for any alleged violation of human rights, as claimed by some interested parties,” he added. Sirisena further assured that he would prioritize the best interest of those who participated in the war. However, he stated that “…those in the armed forces who were engaged in arbitrary murders, abductions and...
Three Tamil journalists were harassed and threatened by Sri Lankan soldiers on the 21st March while reporting on an ongoing protest by families of the disappeared in Maruthankerny. The journalists were photographed en route to the protest, were threatened and made to leave by soldiers from the protest itself and then were followed and harassed on their way home. One of the journalists recounted the incident to Tamil Guardian: “Three of us from Jaffna and Chavakachcheri went to this protest. On the way soldiers took photos of us, but we thought that just happens all the time anyway. We...
Sri Lanka's court of appeal on Tuesday ordered the Criminal Investigations Department to find three navy officers who were aquitted in December of the killing of the TNA MP Nadarajah Raviraj. The CID was ordered to provide information on the officers' location at present, Colombo Page reported.