A discussion on the ‘genocide in Sri Lanka and trials against the Tamils in Italy’ was held by the TPO Centre in Bologna on the 12th February.

Photo: TYO Italy

The panel included Professor of Anthropology at the University of Bologna, Christiana Natali, a speaker from the Tamil youth Organisation Italy (TYO – Italy), International Law professor and jurist at PPT on Sri Lanka, Gabriele Della Morte and a lawyer that has defended Tamil activists, Vainer Burani.
Christiana Natali spoke on the historic genocide of the Tamil people that led to an armed resistance that formalised as the LTTE. Speaking on the LTTE she said,

“The LTTE was a revolutionary movement. Not only within the island, but also within the south-Asia region. I’m not talking about their armed struggle but about their progressive revolution in the social life of the Tamil Nation. They abolished caste system and they made effective equal rights between men and women. Even the largest democratic country, India, is failing to achieve the implementation of these important human rights. The Tamil women fought for their nation, shoulder to shoulder with the men. Equal to them.”

Photo: TYO Italy

The spokesperson for TYO went on to outline the ongoing destruction of the Tamil people in the North-East, highlighting the unabated land appropriation of Tamil land.

Gabriellie Della Morte then went on to speak about the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT), which classified the assault on the Tamil populous in Sri Lanka as genocide. Commenting on the failure of the international judicial system to hold Sri Lanka accountable, she said,

“The failure of R2P (responsibility to protect) is followed also by the failure of an International judicial system. In fact the ICC jurisdiction is not recognised internationally. Some countries like United States, Russia, China, India and Sri Lanka don’t recognise the international Court. The countries that I mentioned represent 2/3 of the world population. Countries that commit these crimes (War crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide) are free to decide if face to trial. This is why alternative tribunals like the PPT are important to enlight the crimes that cannot be investigated by international law.”

“The word genocide is a precious word in the judicial system. It’s hard to prove genocide, but the case of Eelam Tamils it was possible. It’s important that a group of international jurists recognise it when the international community keep the silence. Tamils should use this verdict and say it louder that what happened to them is genocide, without fear or doubt."

The discussion ended with Burani, elaborating on the philosophy behind his decision to defend Tamils that had been accused of terrorism, arguing the difficulty in defining a terrorist, he said,

“The terrorism definition is something relative that could be used politically to ban something inconvenient to them. In the case of the LTTE international powers pushed the ban because the Tamil Tigers’ activities affected their geopolitical interests. Banning the LTTE, the International Community did not just ban the movement, but the entire Eelam Tamil nation.”