Article 28: The Right to A Fair and Free World

Article 28: Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized. Great human rights activists have taught us the concept of indivisibility, and how connected we really are. Our freedom is connected to the freedom of another; no one can be free, if one man is in chains. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere,” Nelson Mandela once said, “Your freedom and mine cannot be separated.” Both these quotes indicate that one man cannot be free, if another man is not. That is not what freedom is.

On this Day: May 27, 2009

Acute shortage of essential food items in Jaffna: Residents of Jaffna peninsula are experiencing an acute shortage of essential food commodities including wheat flour and sugar, sources in Jaffna said. Jaffna Government Agent (GA), in a press release Tuesday night, said that arrangements are being made to get down wheat flour from Trincomalee and sugar from Colombo. Click here to read full article

Mass grave discovered in Naachchikkudaa, Mannaar

De-mining workers of Danish De-mining Group (DDG) have discovered a mass grave in Naachchikkudaa area in Mannaar containing 75 to 100 skeletal remains while engaged in de-mining in the area, informed sources in Mannaar told TamilNet Wednesday. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) had not permitted resettlement in Naachchikkudaa earlier claiming that the area was infested with landmines and a great quantity of explosives lying buried at the height of the war had taken place in Naachchikkudaa. It is suspected that the skeletal remains discovered may have belonged to young men and women, the sources added.

On this Day: May 24, 2009

U.N. secretary-general: Sri Lanka sites for the displaced ‘appalling’: VAVUNIYA, Sri Lanka (CNN) — After visiting a displacement camp in Sri Lanka on Saturday and flying over the site of the last the site of the last battle in the country’s recently ended civil war, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the sites “appalling.” I have traveled around the world and visited similar places, but this is by far the most appalling scenes I have seen,” Ban told CNN. “I sympathize fully with all of the displaced persons.” Click here to read full article

Article 22: Right to Social Security

Article 22: Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 21: The Right to Partake in Governance

Article 21: (1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. (2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country. (3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Sri Lanka Tamil killings ‘ordered from the top’

Exclusive: a senior Sri Lankan army commander and frontline soldier tell Channel 4 News that point-blank executions of Tamils at the end of the Sri Lankan civil war were carried out under orders. In August 2009 Channel 4 News obtained video evidence, later authenticated by the United Nations, purporting to show point-blank executions of Tamils by uniformed Sri Lankan soldiers.Now a senior army commander and a frontline soldier have told Channel 4 News that such killings were indeed ordered from the top.

On this Day: May 20, 2009

On this Day: May 20, 2009: Fears mount for safety of doctors arrested by SLA: Whereabouts of three doctors, Medical Superintendent Dr. Shanmugarajah who was attending the wounded at the makeshift hospital at Mu’l’li-vaaykkaal junior school, Regional Director of Health Services (RDHS) doctors, Dr. Varatharajah and Dr Sathiyamoorthy, arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) after fleeing the Safety Zone Saturday, are still unknown, and several Rights groups feared for doctors’ lives, sources in Colombo said. Full Article

On this Day:May 13, 2009

On this Day:May 13, 2009: SLA shells hospital again, several killed including doctor, ICRC worker: Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells hit the makeshift hospital in Mu’l’li-vaaykkaal East, killing at least 38 patients who were waiting for treatment at the hospital, a medical staff told TamilNet. “There are many more killed inside the hospital premises, but I can only confirm that 38 casualties that I have witnessed near the main theatre upto 2:53 p.m.,” the medical staff told TamilNet. Many shells have hit the makeshift hospital premises across the road. Meanwhile, a patient who reached an administrative office put the casualty figures at 100 and said he had witnessed that an ICRC worker was killed. Meanwhile, LTTE’s Director of Peace Secretarait S. Puleedevan when contacted by TamilNet said 39 female patients at a counselling aid center for mentally ill women were massacred by targeted SLA shelling in the morning. More than 40 patients were feared wounded, he said. Full Article

Article 12: The Right to Privacy

Imagine if the Toronto Police could come knocking on your door, without a warrant, without any reasonable doubt, and just search though anything they liked in your home – without you having done anything criminal, or requiring a search. Now imagine that you are being targeted in a program of genocide, where the opponent is trying to intimate, and silence you. And, finally imagine that those opponents have the power, by law, to arrest you and search you anytime they want. What would you do?