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Sri Lankan soldier sentenced to death over Jaffna massacre

A Sri Lankan army soldier has been sentenced to death, over the massacre of 8 civilians in Jaffna 15 years ago.

The Colombo High Court sentenced Staff Sergeant Sunil Rathnayake over the murder of 8 civilians in the town of Mirusuvil, when 8 Tamil civilians, including 2 children, were arrested by Sri Lankan security forces. They were subsequently murdered and their bodies buried in a mass grave 16 miles east of Jaffna town, reports Adaderana.

However, 4 other soldiers accused of having a role in the massacre were acquitted, reportedly due to a lack of evidence.

Commenting on the sentence, Sri Lanka Project Director at the International Crisis Group Alan Keenan said on Twitter, “It will take a lot more than a few 15-year long trials of low-ranking officers to say justice works in Sri Lanka”.

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