The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released seven “fact sheets” for the report of the OHCHR’s Investigation on Sri Lanka. The documents briefly summarize key parts of the many chapters of the report and highlight important findings. The fact sheets break up the report into the following topics: overview of the report; allegations of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, sexual and gender-based violence; violations related to deprivation of liberty and enforced disappearances; unlawful killings; abduction and force recruitment; control of movement...
Sri Lanka’s University Education and Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella said a united national government with the two major parties was needed in order to withstand pressure from foreign governments. Mr Kiriella, who is also Leader of the House, told a press conference that if Sri Lanka’s two major parties the SLFP and UNP, stuck together the international community would not be able to “meddle with internal affairs”. "Our main aim is to formulate the main framework and policies for the development of the country so that there would be no change in policies whenever there is a change of...
The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances will visit Sri Lanka next week, at the invitation of the Sri Lankan government. A statement by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights announced that the group will be on an official visit from the 9th til the 18th of November. During the mission, the UN experts will study the measures adopted by the State to prevent and eradicate enforced disappearances, including issues related to truth, justice and reparation for the victims of enforced disappearances. They will also gather information on cases of enforced...
32 Tamil political prisoners will be released on November 9th, leader of the opposition and TNA leader, R. Sampanthan has said. Mr Sampanthan said that the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, had reassured him that the 32 would be released on the 9th, with a further 30 to be released before the 20th and another 48 to be released pending investigation. The opposition leader had met with Mr Wickremesinghe and the Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena, to discuss the release of Tamil political prisoners, for which demonstrations and campaigning have intensified across the North...
Sri Lanka’s Justice Minister Wijeyasadasa Rajapakshe told Sir Lanka’s parliament that he had prevented former Defence Secretary Gotabaya from being arrested. Speaking on the adjournment on a debate of an illegal floating armoury that was linked to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Justice Minister, said , “I took up the position that he should not be arrested in this connection. I brought this to the notice of the President and the Prime Minister and both of them said we should do what is legal.”
The Northern Provincial Council has called for the Sri Lankan government to open immediate investigations into the murder and assaulting of journalists across the North-East. In a resolution passed on Thursday, the Council called upon Sri Lanka's Minister of Justice, Minister of Law and Order and the Attorney General to launch immediate inquiries into the murders of Tamil journalists in the North-East, as well as violent attacks against others. The resolution pointed out that while it was to be welcomed that the Sri Lankan government had vowed to investigate the assassination of certain...
The Sri Lankan Army is attempting to make its occupation of over 3000 acres of land in Mannar, permanent. 3,524 acres of Tamil owned-land in the village of Sannar was seized by the army during the Rajapaksa regime. Reports from the area claim that the occupying army are attempting to gain legal rights over the land for permanent military use. Villagers expressed their disappointment that instead of Tamil land being returned to the rightful owners, landgrabs continued under the new government.
Tamil political prisoners have announced their intention to fast unto death again unless they are granted amnesty. Calling on the Sri Lankan president to secure their release before November 7th as promised in a letter, the prisoners said that unless a general amnesty was granted they would resume their hunger strike and refuse to call it off for any other reasons. The prisoners are quoted in Ceylon Today as saying to their relatives, "We shall launch another 'fast unto death' if the President fails to adhere to his promises, as mentioned in the letter, before 7 November. This is the only way...
Tamil judges are often too intimidated to pass the right judgements, the Chief Minister of the Northern Province has said. Meeting with the Japanese ambassador, Kenichi Suganuma on Wednesday, Mr Wigneswaran said that a domestic accountability mechanism would be of no good to victims of atrocities, and that unbiased international judges would be crucial to the process. When asked whether there were no Tamil judges in the country, the Chief Minister responded that the existence of a few Tamil judges did not improve the outlook, as their ability to pass judgements was often compromised by...
A district court in Jaffna has announced that from January 2016 all cases will be conducted in Tamil. District judge Srinthi Nanthasekaran told visiting Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe that despite the apparent recruitment of 600 Tamil police officers, police in the North did not conduct any cases in Tamil. Testimonies were not recorded in Tamil, she said. Mrs Nanthasekaran announced that all cases coming to the Chavakachcheri court from the start of 2016 must be filed in Tamil or would fail to be processed. She had already issued instructions to the police, she said.