Human rights groups and others are again calling for the death sentences passed on three Tamils for their alleged involvement in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi to be commuted.

The renewed calls come after Indian President Pratibja Patil's recent rejection of their clemency pleas paved the way for their executions.

Rajiv Ghandi was assassinated in 1991 by a female suicide bomber said to be from the LTTE.

The three Tamils currently facing execution - Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan (known by single names) - were amongst 26 people sentenced to death by a special court in 1998 for their alleged involvement.

Following an appeal the Supreme Court ruled that 19 were freed, having served their sentence, three were commuted to life sentences and only four of the death sentences were to be upheld - the three afore mentioned and Nalini, Murugan's wife.

The sentencing occurred under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987 (TADA).

Amnesty International argues the law “contained provisions that were incompatible with international standards for fair trial.”

Human rights groups and activists have long also criticised the original trial and investigation as deeply flawed, highlighting the use of torture to elicit confessions.

This week Amnesty International called for the death sentences to be commuted and urged fellow activists and supporters to take urgent action. (See statement here). 

“Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

“The eleven-year delay in announcing the verdict of the mercy petition and the resultant stay on death row may further amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

“The Supreme Court of India has itself commuted death sentences in a number of cases due to prolonged delay in deciding mercy petitions.”

Last week The Hindu newspaper, a strident critic of the LTTE, also joined the protests. In an editorial titled 'No to Death Penalty', the paper argued (see full text here):

"India must make a clean break with a savage tradition by abolishing capital punishment. An immediate moratorium on executions should be the first step."

"Internationally, there is an increasing trend towards abolition, with 96 countries doing away with it and 34 countries being abolitionist in practice by observing official or unofficial moratoria on executions. Each of the three UN resolutions calling for a moratorium has seen more countries backing it".

Several parties in Tamil Nadu have also called for the commuting of the death sentences issued.

In an interview with The Sunday Leader newspaper, the Global Tamil Forum’s spokesman, Suren Surendiran, set out the organisation’s goals in Sri Lanka:

Sri Lanka's defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, has again condemned the international community and the Tamil diaspora for insisting on an independent investigation into war time atrocities.

Though such remarks are routine, his recents comments were notable for the reason he attributed to the international pressure.

Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Ashok K. Kantha’s address to mark his country’s 65th independence anniversary was starkly at odds with international opinion, disconnected from political developments at home, and elided the enduring humanitarian and ethnopolitical crises in Sri Lanka.

Speaking to Groundviews, Gnanasundaram Kuganathan, the editor of the Uthayan newspaper in Jaffna who was severely injured in a beating by pro-government paramilitaries, vowed to continue reporting on 'activities against humanity'.

Sri Lanka’s much vaunted Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Committee (LLRC) said Thursday it won’t be rushed by anyone into submitting its report.

The magnum opus is due on November 15.

Amid growing international outrage over war crimes and crimes against humanity in the final stage of Sri Lanka’s conflict, the LLRC’s report has strangely emerged as a central device.

Russia’s state-run arms exporter said today Sri Lanka is to purchase 14 military transport helicopters. The money comes from a Russian credit line offered in 2010 for arms purchases.

But spokesmen for Sri Lanka’s defense ministry and air force both told Reuters they were unaware of the deal for the Mi-171s.

Sri Lanka’s main stock index rose 3% on Thursday – as foreigner investors sold a net $2 million worth. See Reuters’ report here.

Sri Lanka’s stock market has soared since the end of the island’s war, driven by proxy government buying through state-owned funds.

At the same time, there has been a net foreign outflow.

“The Tamil Diaspora will only remit funds through channels which ensure [these] are not financing the decimation of their own land, heritage and culture. The Diaspora is not going to send its money to an outfit run by the Sri Lankan military , which would use this money to sustain and develop its own infrastructure in the Tamil region, further subjugating the Tamils.