Virendra Sharma, MP for Ealing South, called on the UK government to consider applying sanctions to senior figures in Sri Lanka, in a letter to British Minister of State for South Asia Lord Ahmad, as calls for the UK to present a stronger UN resolution on Sri Lanka continue. 

The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) expressed their solidarity with Ambihai Selvakumar, a British Tamil woman who has reached the 16th day of her hunger strike, and urged the British government to “open its doors to justice in good faith” and exhort the rest of the international community to endeavour towards delivering justice for the Tamil people, in a statement released on Thursday.  

“As Tamil people and human rights activists have come together to lend support to her (Ambihai’s) non-violent protest, the TNPF is also working in conjunction with them,” the TNPF stated.

A note instructing Mariyasuresh Eswary to appear at the Mullaitivu Police Station for interrogation at 10.00 AM on March 9, 2021

Sri Lankan police questioned Mariyasuresh Eswary, the head of the Association of Relatives of Disappeared Persons in Mullaitivu, over her participation in the Pottuvil to Polikandy (P2P) march which took place over a month ago. 

As the 46^th session of the UN Human Rights Council continues, the Oakland Institute has released a report which highlights Sri Lanka’s continued militarisation and Sinhalisation of the island as the government continues its campaign to “eradicate the history and culture of the Tamil people”.

The International Truth and Justice Project Sri Lanka (ITJP) released a series of infographics this week, detailing casualty estimates during the final months of Sri Lanka’s 2009 military offensive that killed tens of thousands of Tamils.

Examining different sources, including from the United Nations, census figures and World Bank data, ITJP found that the highest estimate of those killed during that final phase could be as large as 169,796.

UN analysis from the final week alone puts the figure at 17,000 killed, though other estimates state the number killed could be as high as 25,000 people.

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Britain’s parliament is to hold a debate on the “UK’s Commitment to Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka,” as a resolution on the issue is due to be voted on at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this month.  

The debate, organised by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Tamils, will be held on March 18^th.

In a joint statement by eight human rights ambassadors, including the UK, Germany, and Sweden, denounced the continued detention of Muslim lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah by the Sri Lankan authorities.

Sri Lanka Special Task Force (STF) has searched a Hindu cemetery in Chemmani, to allegedly uncover  5 kg of ammunition following a Jaffna Magistrate court order.

According to police records, 3 kg 750 mg C4 and rennet ammunition detonators and wires were found within the bag. 

Writing to British Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, leader of the UK Liberal Democratic party, Ed Davey, slammed the proposed resolution on Sri Lanka stating it “completely fails to rise to the challenge” and called for Sri Lanka to be referred to the International Criminal Court.

A United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution on accountability in Sri Lanka, will ensure that the country is kept “firmly on the UNHRC agenda” said British Minister of State for South Asia Lord Ahmad, in a letter this week, as the UK continued to decline referring Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court (ICC).