Speaking to Channel 4 News, Tamil torture victims recalled their experience at the hands of the Sri Lankan state and warned against sending Tamils back to the island.
Commenting on British Prime Minister David Cameron’s decision to attend CHOGM, one of the men, who could not be identified for security reasons said,
“I deeply regret [the British Prime Minister’s] decision to visit Sri Lanka at this juncture”.
He went on to say,
“Sri Lanka has openly carried out a genocide and is still carrying out a vicious campaign against the Tamil community.”
“Instead of punishing this government and its leaders… Britain is honouring them by visiting. We Tamils have no option but to helplessly watch this sad event. It is deeply regrettable.”
The man, who is currently seeking asylum in the UK, said,
“I know what is going to happen to me in Sri Lanka. They will definitely torture me and kill me. I would be happier to serve a life sentence in a British prison than be returned to Sri Lanka, where they will torture me to death.”
Another man, who also experienced torture at the hands of the Sri Lankan state, said,
“I had heard about it, but I did not fully believe it. Now that it has happened to me, I fully accept every one of those reports.”
Read the full report here.