The AIADMK, headed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, has called for a referendum on the island of Sri Lanka to establish a separate state in their manifesto for the upcoming general elections in India.

Reiterating the AIADMK stand, calling for justice for the victims of genocide, the manifesto stated,

The brother of Visvalingam Gopithas, who died in a Sri Lankan prison yesterday, has accused the prison authorities of mistreating him, saying he did not receive adequate food and medical attention, reported the BBC.

Gopithas died in Welikada Prison yesterday, after spending 8 years in the prison. The British Tamil was held without charge for 5 years since 2007, before being convicted of providing support to the LTTE in 2012, a charge he always denied.

A special prayer service was held for victims of the Mannar mass grave earlier this week, as dozens came to mourn and pray in remembrance.

Human rights organisations have condemned the appointment of a former Sri Lankan military commander as the acting operations manager of the Manus Island detention centre, where asylum seekers who arrive in mainland Australia are sent to.

Amnesty International India has labelled the ban on the documentary ‘No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka’ from theatrical release in India “an attack on freedom of speech” in a series of tweets yesterday.

The human rights organisation went on to slam the decision as one that as one that “hurts Indian democracy” and said,

“Is India trying to stifle the movement for justice in Sri Lanka by banning it?”

An Australian company, specialising in the manufacture of solar panels, will set up a factory in Hambantota for $190mn.

Energy Puzzle Group will create 150 jobs in the hometown of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

In a damning report on Sri Lanka's progress towards accountability and reconciliation , officially released today, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recommended “the establishment of an independent international inquiry mechanism, which would contribute to establishing the truth where domestic mechanisms have failed.”

See full report here.

The report highlighted unresolved issues including human rights violations of former combatants and detainees, attacks on religious minorities, human rights defenders and freedom of expression, and arbitrary killings, whilst also highlighting the need for further internationally assisted investigations into newly discovered mass graves.

Moving on to Sri Lanka's attempts of reconciliation and accountability, the report raised concerns over the limited and insincere implementations of the Lessons Learn and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) whilst also highlighting failed domestic processes for accountability and justice.

The report concluded by stating,

“In the absence of a credible national process, she believes the international community has a duty to take further steps, which will advance the right to truth for all in Sri Lanka and create further opportunities for justice, accountability and redress.”

“The High Commissioner reiterates her concern at the continuing trend of attacks on freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, particularly against human rights defenders, journalists and families of victims, the rising levels of religious intolerance and continued militarisation, which continue to undermine the environment where accountability and reconciliation can be achieved."

See below for the list Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay’s recommendations to the Sri Lankan government.

A British citizen who has been in a Sri Lankan prison since 2007 has been found dead, reported the Uthayan.

The Tamil political prisoner Visvalingam Gopithas, 43, was accused of supporting the LTTE financially and arrested on his arrival at Katunayake Airport in March 2007 and had been held without charge for 5 years, before his conviction in 2012. Mr Gopithas denied all charges.

According to the Uthayan, fellow inmates said his death was suspicious and demanded an investigation.

Gopithas was found dead in the bathroom of Section C in Welikada Prison, also known as Magazine Prison. Reports say he was previously attacked by Sinhalese prisoners in 2011, who stripped and tortured him, and survived a murder attempt in 2012.

Gopithas has spent more than 6 years languishing in a Sri Lankan prison, under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. In 2011, a spokesman for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said,

"FCO minister Alistair Burt raised Mr Gopithas's continued detention without charge with the Sri Lankan foreign minister, [G L] Peiris in June this year … [and] more broadly, the UK has regularly expressed its concern about legislation in Sri Lanka that allows for prolonged detention without charge."

Read more on his case in our report: British Tamils held in Sri Lanka without charge (18 September 2011)

(Edited 25 Feb 2014 at 20:30GMT to include details on conviction)