A series of mobile digital adverts were placed across the city of Glasgow earlier today, as part of a campaign by Scottish Tamils as Sri Lanka’s president Gotabaya Rajapaksa visits the city for the UN climate summit COP 26.
The adverts which were placed on vans that roamed the roads surrounding COP26 venues and Glasgow city, warned that Rajapaksa should not be welcomed in Scotland due to his overseeing of war crimes and genocide.
“Stop Tamil Genocide and Eelam Genocide,” read one of the adverts.
Throughout the week, a high-profile campaign has been run by Scottish Tamil activists, calling for an international justice mechanism and for Rajapaksa to be brought to justice for genocide.
Rajapaksa previously served as Sri Lanka’s defence secretary and oversaw a military campaign that saw hospitals shelled and tens of thousands of Tamils killed. He has repeatedly vowed not to prosecute those accused of war crimes, which includes senior military generals and his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is currently Sri Lanka’s prime minister.
“Scotland is not a place that war criminals can freely visit,” one of the Tamil activists behind the campaign told the Tamil Guardian. “Rajapaksa must know that. We will ensure that one day, he will be brought to justice.”
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