Yesterday was Tamil Genocide Day, a day of solemn remembrance and collective mourning. Across the Tamil homeland and around the world, millions commemorated their kith and kin who were deliberately and systematically massacred by the Sri Lankan state. This year, as flames were lit and flowers laid across the North-East, political turmoil continues to rage across the South. Whilst Colombo’s politicians tussle for power, international focus remains on whether Sri Lanka will be able to climb out of the crisis in which it has landed. May 18, more than any other day, served as a reminder that unless deep-rooted structural changes are enacted and the Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism confronted, it never will.
Tamil News
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Ahead of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue Alliance’s (QUAD) meeting on 22 May, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged leaders of the four-member states to address (the United States, India, Japan and Australia) to address democratic backsliding in Asia.
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The head of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu claimed that if Narendra Modi was the Indian prime minister in 2009 the massacres at Mullivaikkal would not have happened, as he controversially addressed a genocide memorial...
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Tamils in Denmark held a rally in Copenhagen today to mark 13 years since the massacre at Mullivaikkal and to demand justice for the war crimes committed by Sri Lanka.
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People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) called on the international community to push Sri Lanka "to take meaningful steps toward achieving justice and accountability for its past and ongoing crimes, demilitarisation, and a sustainable, long-term political solution for the Tamil people" as the Tamil nation marks Tamil Genocide...
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Speaking at the Mullivaikkal Remembrance event in London Sam Tarry, Labour MP and shadow minister for Buses and Local Transport, called on the UK government to apply targeted sanctions on those responsible for human rights abuses and...
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Marking Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, US Democratic Senator Wiley Nickel expressed his solidarity with the Tamil people and highlighted their "right to self-determination, to peacefully and democratically determine their own political future"
The North Carolina Senator added
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British Tamil businesses distributed kanji across London on Tamil Genocide Day, to honour the victims and survivors of the Mullivaikkal genocide that took place 13 years ago.
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Sri Lanka’s embattled president Gotabaya Rajapaksa lashed out at “various local, foreign groups and individuals” earlier today, as he accused them of “trying to use the economic and political crisis as a pretext to influence national security”.
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The head of the Sri Lankan army said he recalled with “great pride” his role in the military offensive of 2009, in which he oversaw a unit accused of executions and committed atrocities that have barred him from entry to...
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Marking the 13th anniversary of the Mullivaikkal genocide, Swiss Tamils gathered in Waisenhausplatz , Bern, Switzerland to commemorate the thousands of lives taken during Sri Lanka’s brutal military assault.An estimated 200-300 Tamils gathered to remember the attrocities.
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Today we join with the Tamil and all communities across Sri Lanka, the UK and across the world commemorating those who lost their lives in Sri Lanka’s armed conflict. The British government will continue to press for truth, accountability & justice for victims and their families pic.twitter.com/81ScCyxYDK
— Lord (Tariq)Ahmad of Wimbledon (@tariqahmadbt)...
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On Tamil Genocide remembrance day (18th of May 2022), the International Truth and Justice Project issued a press release expressing solidarity with the Tamil people campaigning for justice.
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Today, we remember those who lost their lives – and those who went missing, were injured, or were displaced – during the armed conflict in Sri Lanka. We also honour the resilience of their loved ones, who continue to live with the effects of this tragedy. https://t.co/snbcHsxKlD
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau)...
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The Indian Supreme Court used special powers to release A.G.Perarivalan, who was convicted for procuring the batteries that were used in the bomb that blew up former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.
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A small commemorative event was held at the anti-government Sri Lankan protest site in Colombo earlier today.
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British Tamils gather outside parliament marking the 13th anniversal of the Mullivaikkal genocide.
British Tamils gather outside parliament in remembrance of Mullivaikkal genocide
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Marking the 13th anniversary of the Mullivaikkal genocide, MPs in Switzerland have expressed their solidarity in Tamil demands for justice and accountability.
Claudia Friedl, an MP for St. Gallen from the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, stated on Twitter:
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Marking 13 years since the genocide in Mullivaikkal, British politicians from across the political aisle have called to redouble efforts for justice and accountability.
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The Sri Lankan military announced that 396 Officers & 8,110 other ranks in the army have been promoted on today as the Tamil nation mourns the loss of tens of thousands of Tamil lives at the hands of Sri Lanka.
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Marking 13 years since the genocide in Mullivaikkal, the UK's Labour leader has called for Sri Lanka to be referred to the International Criminal Court noting that "the perpetrators of these atrocities still have not been brought to...
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Over 3,000 people have been killed over the last 24 hours, with another 25,000 critically injured.
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In a televised address on Monday, newly appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe announced that Sri Lanka is down to its last day of petrol.
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Responding to the crisis in Sri Lanka, Lord Ahmad, UK Minister for South Asia, North Africa, the United Nations, and the Commonwealth, stressed the need for accountability and justice in Sri Lanka whilst maintaining that the current focus is “the immediate needs of Sri Lanka, its people and its welfare”.
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Marking the 13th anniversary of the Mullivaikkal genocide in Sri Lanka, British MPs met with civil society actors and Tamil activists to renew their commitment to accountability and justice for war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan state.
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Three of my children were killed in an artillery attack on the same day at the same place. If they were alive today, the eldest son would be 20 years old, daughter would be 17 years old, and the youngest son would be 15 years old. With them, nine members of my family, including my mother-in-law, my husband’s 6-year-old sister, his...
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Muslims in Jaffna served Mullivakkal Kanji to locals earlier today, as part of commemorative events taking place across the North-East to mark Tamil Genocide Week.
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Sri Lanka has been ranked 146th in the world for press freedom by Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) in their 2022 World Press Freedom Index, falling 19 places from the previous year.
“Press freedom issues are closely tied to the civil war that ravaged the island until 2009, and to the crimes – still left unpunished – against many journalists during the crushing of the Tamil rebellion,” said RSF.
“With a media sector lacking diversity and highly dependent on major...
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Despite attempts by the Sri Lankan authorities to intimidate and harass Tamils, preparations have continued at Mullivaikkal to commemorate Tamil Genocide Day tomorrow.
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World News
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A former senior Rwandan official, Laurent Bucyibaruta will be the most senior officer to date to face trial in France for his involvement in the Rwandan genocide, as his trial opened in the country last week.
Bucyibaruta’s trial will be the fourth to be taken to trial in France in relation to the massacres of 1994. The trial is anticipated to last 2 months, and it has been announced that more than 100 witnesses (including survivors of the atrocities) will be called upon either in...
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Thousands of Palestinians rallied on Sunday during Nakba Day – which Palestinians call the “the catastrophe”.
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The UK’s controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 received royal assent to become UK law despite widespread criticism.
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Israel’s military has launched four missile strikes Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip during the holy month of Ramadan.
The move follows reports that Israel’s army intercepted a rocket launched from the Gaza strip amidst growing tensions over the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Thus far no Palestinian group has claimed responsibility for the rocket launch, which Israeli...
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Israeli police have raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, with medics reporting at least 158 Palestinians injured.
Israeli forces entered in force before dawn on Friday, as thousands of worshippers were gathered at the mosque for early morning prayers.
The Palestinian Red Crescent added that Israeli forces had hindered the arrival of ambulances and paramedics to the mosque, as Palestinian media said dozens of injured worshippers remained trapped inside the...
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Those entering the UK illegally, as well as those who have arrived illegally from 1 January, will now be relocated to Rwanda, the PM says.
This will provide "safe and legal routes" for asylum whilst "disrupting the business models of the gangs", he addshttps://t.co/a3jSwzI8yb pic.twitter.com/YfhwNtwZWi
— Sky News (@SkyNews...
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Human Rights Watch has documented numerous cases of Russian military forces committing war crimes in the occupied Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv regions of Ukraine.
Between February 27 and March 14, 2022, Human Rights Watch learned of "unspeakable" acts of violence against Ukrainian civilians in Russian...
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Hungary’s authoritarian leader, Viktor Orban, secured a fourth consecutive term on Sunday in a landslide election victory.
Orban is at the helm of the right-wing Fidesz party, which acquired about 67.8% of the vote. He is credited with steering the party towards its overwhelming win on Sunday night. The...
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Pope Francis has apologized to Indigenous delegates for the conduct of some members of the Roman Catholic Church in Canada’s residential school system.
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Jamaica's prime minister, Andrew Holness has told the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge that his country is "moving on" and intends to become a republic.
Representatives from the British monarchy's arrival in Jamaica on Tuesday coincided with major demonstrations urging them to pay reparations for slavery and calls from senior politicians for the...
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Myanmar’s violence and killings of Rohingya amounted to genocide, in a speech made at the Holocaust Memorial Museum earlier today.
“The United States has concluded that genocide has been committed seven times,” said Blinken. “Today marks the eighth.”
“I have determined...
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The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has highlighted the ongoing crisis occurring in Tigray, starting that there is no where on earth where "people are more at risk".
At a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus implicitly addressed those concerns. He said such was the scale of the crisis, it would be a...
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Lithuania has reportedly cancelled the delivery of more than 400,000 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to Bangladesh, citing Dhaka’s refusal to vote in favour of a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to reports, Rasa Jakilaitienė, a spokeswoman for Lithuania’s prime minister said the shipment of 444,600 doses which was agreed upon just last week, was now cancelled.
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Several senior Ukrainian officials, including president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, have claimed Russian actions verged on "genocide" with proceedings underway at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN, told the UN General Assembly that Russia had "come to deprive Ukraine of the very right to exist. They have come to...
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Foreign secretary Lizz Truss has said she would "absolutely" support individual Brits going to fight Russian forces in Ukraine.
Following an announcement made by Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, who pledged to arm the country's international "friends" who chose to travel to Ukraine to fight alongside them.
Lizz Truss was asked whether she would support the call during an appearance on the BBC's Sunday Morning programme.
She said, "I do support that. Of course, that...
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International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan on Friday expressed his concern over the Russian invasion of Ukraine and said his court may investigate possible war crimes in the country.
Khan who is currently on a mission In Bangladesh said in his statement...
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Pul-e-Charki Prison, Kabul, January 2012... -
'They slap a price on you' - Ethiopian officials accused of extorting arbitrarily detained Tigrayans
In a damning report by Al Jazeera, reporters uncovered a series of incidents where Ethiopian security officers have been extorting and abusing Tigrayan civilians detained without charge.
Since an influx of arbitrary arrests last...
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In the aftermath of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, both the UEFA Champions League and Formula 1 have cancelled scheduled sporting events in Russia.
European football's governing body held an emergency meeting earlier this morning and announced that the 2022 Champions League final will be played in Paris, instead of St Petersburg on 28 May.
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In a statement released earlier this month, five UN Special Rapporteurs highlighted the "appalling and pervasive culture of impunity in Bangladesh," over the failure of Bangladeshi authorities to ensure justice for two journalists killed ten years ago.
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Several explosions have been reported across Ukraine, as Russian troops launched offensives across the region in the early hours of this morning.
More than 40 Ukranian troops are reported to have been killed so far.
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Last month, the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution, put forth by Israel and Germany, to “reject and condemn without and reservation any denial of The Holocaust as a historical event, either in full or in part.”
The resolution urges member states and social media platforms to “take active measures to combat antisemitism and...
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American citizen Ross Roggio, 53, has been indicted on two separate charges of torture for the alleged abuse of an employee in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in 2015.
Roggio living in Pennsylvania, was previously indicted on 37 charges of illegally exporting weapons to Kurdistan. Roggio allegedly worked with Kurdish officials to construct a weapons factory, which produced weapons for Kurdish soldiers.
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A former senior Spanish police officer has claimed that Spanish intelligence services knew about the plans of the terror cell responsible for the 2017 Barcelona attacks but failed to act in a bid to destabilise Catalonia before a crucial independence vote.
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Five former Guatemalan paramilitaries are currently on trial for the rape of 36 Indigenous Mayan women during the 1980s.
Indigenous people were often targeted and harassed by the military government for allegedly backing the left-wing guerrillas during the conflict that took place between 1960 and 1996. In 2018, the five former paramilitaries were arrested along with three others. However, the case was dismissed and the magistrate released them. One died before being released. After...
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Responding to Russia’s military reinforcement of Kazakhstan security forces to quell nationwide unrest, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has raised concerns over the alliance.
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In a landmark case, 19 Uighur Muslims have filed a criminal complaint with a Turkish prosecutor against 112 Chinese officials accusing them of crimes of genocide, torture, rape, and crimes against humanity.
“Turkish legislation recognises universal jurisdiction. Torture, genocid, rape [and] crimes against humanity can be prosecuted in Turkish courts and criminals can be tried”...
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President Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia who is leading the war against TPLF.
Thousands of Tigrayan migrant workers in Saudi Arabia who were deported to Ethiopia by Riyadh have been locked up in detention camps and forcibly disappeared, a latest Human Rights Watch (HRW)...
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Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has resigned following continued mass pro-democracy protests at the capital Khartoum.
His resignation grants Sudan’s military full control over the country as they continue their violent crackdown on democratic protesters.
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Former Columbian military official, Mario Antonio Palacios, has been arrested by Panama authorities under allegations of forming part of a mercenary group that assassinated Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise.
Palacios was detained during a stopover flight in Panama and asked to “voluntarily” board a flight to the US, the Hindu reports. After refusing the request, Panamanian officials told him that they would enforce an Interpol red notice issued by the US, which is addition to one Haiti...
