FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 15, 2012
Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields War Crimes Unpunished
Human Rights Advocacy Council
May 2009 marked the height of violent attacks and onslaughts by the Sri-Lankan Government towards the Tamil people. Several new pieces of evidence and credible reports have emerged that expose war crimes and violations of international law committed by the Sri Lankan military during this period.
Britain’s Channel 4 News released its second documentary of evidence of war crimes in Sri Lanka titled Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished. This new documentary, part two of a series, examines evidence that traces the orders of shelling civilians in government designated “no fire zones”, denial of food and medicine, and systematic executions to the highest powers of the Sri Lankan government; President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The video footage obtained has been authenticated as being legitimate; in fact, much of the footage came from the perpetrators themselves who recorded their abuses as “trophies of war”.
The powerful documentary reveals evidence that government shelling into no-fire zones were controlled, thus indicating that the government would have known that civilians were being killed upon firing their weaponry. As well, forensic analysis shows patterns in executions leading to conclusions that this was a systematic execution method carried out by the Sri Lankan government forces, with intent to destroy and kill. Another powerful element of the documentary shows the strategic denial of food and medicine by the government as a means of military victory, which in itself is a violation of international law. Numbers of civilians trapped in the “no-fire zone” were purposely underreported in order to justify meagre food and medicinal supplies being sent to affected regions, thereby allowing for extermination of Tamil civilians through lack of access to food and medicine.
The lack of initiative by the government to provide a political solution to Tamils will only result in their marginalization. The lack of accountability from the Sri Lankan government for allegations of war crimes abuses has shown that an international independent investigation is necessary. The government’s strong refusal of any international intervention while not even implementing any strategies suggested in its own commission’s report on the final war shows its lack of interest in providing equality and justice for Tamils.
Human Rights Advocacy Council calls for an end to impunity of these individuals responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians, and strongly urges the Government of Canada, international community leaders, governments and United Nations to act on the credible evidence presented in the documentary. President Rajapaksa, Defense Secretary Gotabaya, former military leaders Prasanna de Silva and Shavendra Silva who have been awarded diplomatic posts in foreign countries have committed these unspeakable crimes must be held accountable for their inhumane actions, otherwise, we will be only encouraging the perpetrators. We call upon youth to continue to work towards raising awareness and educating their peers of the atrocities that have been inflicted upon the Tamil people.
Canadian Tamil Youth Alliance (CTYA) is the largest combination of youth associations and groups nationwide with Tamil heritage, culture and language backgrounds. Together, through the Alliance, CTYA strives to educate and empower the youth in order to prepare them as transitional leaders of society. Furthermore, through the Human Rights Advocacy Council, we aim to build the capacity of Canadian Tamil youth by equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills to advocate for the protection of human rights in Canada and abroad, and to educate our youth and the broader Canadian society about the ongoing plight of Tamil people.
Tags: News
