Human Rights Watch has called on governments worldwide to make strong commitments to end impunity for those who carry out sexual violence, ahead of the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict tomorrow. The summit tomorrow is expected to be the largest gathering of its kind to discuss prevention and response to sexual violence, with Liesl Gerntholtz, women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch, adding , “The terrible human cost for civilians caught in conflict is even greater for women and girls, who often face sexual violence from all sides and have nowhere to turn for protection... The London summit will only be a success if the pledges countries make to end the scourge of rape in war are translated into concrete action.” Noting that they have documented cases of sexual violence in countries, including Sri Lanka, HRW went on to say, “Countries with armed conflicts should make clear they will arrest and prosecute those responsible for sexual violence, including officers in their own troops with command responsibility for the attackers.”
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered the release of 78 Indian fishermen held under Sri Lankan custody, as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again, to address the issue of attacks on fishermen. The released Indian fishermen were part of a group recently arrested and had their fishing trawlers confiscated by the Sri Lankan Navy, as arrests of Indian fishermen continued. Jayalalithaa, in her second letter to the Indian Prime Minister, called for a “long-term, permanent solution to the problem and also to put in place a strong and robust diplomatic response”. She went on to add that, “As an immediate measure, I request you to kindly ensure that India registers the strongest disapproval of the belligerent actions of the Sri Lankan Navy.”
Photo: @Halfon4HarlowMP British Conservative MPs condemned the genocide faced by Tamils in Sri Lanka, pledging to work towards a political solution that would end the oppression, at the first Conservative Party community event of the 2015 election campaign. Speaking at a summer fundraising event held by the British Tamil Conservatives on Friday, the MPs addressed several Tamil supporters, as well as professionals and entrepreneurs, over a light dinner. Robert Halfon, the MP for Harlow, said Tamils continued to face genocide at the hands of the Sri Lankan state, a view that was endorsed by the...
The Jaffna Press Club, condemned the Sri Lankan state's actions to ‘prevent the knowledge-based development workshops for Tamil speaking journalists,' in a statement on the recent disruption, by a Sinhala mob, of a journalism workshop hosted by Transparency International. "Many journalists in the North-East have been murdered with impunity in recent critical times. Some have been abducted or been disappeared. A number of journalists have escaped murder attempts with serious injuries. Such a critical situation has led to many journalists fleeing the profession and even the country,” said the statement outlining the unabated oppression of Tamil press in the North-East. Full statement reproduced below.
An increasing number of soldiers who have deserted the Sri Lankan Army are going on to commit crimes according to the latest reported statistics, with tens of thousands of soldiers classed as deserters. In a feature on Al Jazeera, Sri Lankan police statistics were reported as showing that the first four months of 2014 alone saw that 18 percent of reported crimes were committed by members of the armed forces. In 2013 that figure was 5 percent. In 2013, a total of 71,458 Sri Lankan Army personnel were reported as deserters. Dr Prabath Gunatillaka, a psychology lecturer was quoted as saying, "...
A total of 82 Indian fishermen were arrested and 18 of their trawlers have been seized by the Sri Lankan Navy, in another spate of arrests . The latest clash comes just days after Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa released 33 Indian fishermen from Sri Lanka custody, as a gesture of goodwill between the two countries. Previous releases have also been followed by further arrests, just days after. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, head of the third biggest party in India, has called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take " strong and robust " stance against the arrests...
A case filed against Balendran Jeyakumari and her daughter Vipoosika, for allegedly sheltering a member of the LTTE, has been postponed after the presiding judge failed to appear in court. Disappearances campaigner Jeyakumari and her 13-year old daughter Vipoosika were both detained by the Sri Lankan security forces on the 13th of March 2014 at their home in Tharmapuram. Since then, Jeyakumari has been held at the infamous Boosa camp in the south of the island. Despite protests calling for their release, the Sri Lankan government has refused. See more from the Uthayan (in Tamil) here .
A Tamil man was attacked by unidentified men today, leading to his admission into Batticaloa Teaching Hospital. 28-year-old Paalippodi Gunaseelan was returning to his home in Kanjiran'guda Panaiyaruppan village, in Batticaloa, to find a group of unidentified men questioning his wife. The men, wearing motorcycle helmets, then attacked the victim using logs. He is currently being treated in hospital. The police say they are investigating this case further. See more from the Uthayan here . Also see our earlier post: Disabled former cadre attacked at her Kilinochchi home (04 June 2014)
A workshop aimed at training Tamil journalists from the North-East was shut down yesterday after mobs of protestors gathered outside the hotel that it was being held at , resulting in journalists and trainers having to evacuate the premises on grounds of a risk to safety, reports Sundaytimes.l k. Photo: @dushiyanthini The workshop was organised by Transparency International (TI) to help develop skills of Tamil speaking journalists. The mob of protestors carried placards claiming that they were protectors of the ‘motherland’ and demanded that the workshop, which was taking place in Colombo, be...
Delays in registration with the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai has resulted in 17000 Tamil children from the North-East of Sri Lanka being rendered stateless reported The Hindu . Registration is essential if Sri Lankan citizenship is to be granted to these children. The Hindu reported that a backlog of applications had been caused by the State government suspending a process that had been set up to help facilitate registration. Mobile camps in the Collectorates, which Deputy High Commission officials visited to collect applications, have now been put on hold due to a “...