Action Alert ArchiveGovernment bombings of civilian targets resumeMay 12, 2006 We are writing today to call your attention to recent events in Sri Lanka that gravely endanger the prospects for peace there. The crisis in Sri Lanka has escalated sharply in recent weeks, as the death toll rises daily. The Sri Lankan government has indiscriminately bombed ethnic Tamil villages on two separate occasions: constant shelling April 25-26 on Muttur East, Sampoor and Trincomalee and at least 8 times May 11 on Kilinochchi. These actions are a clear violation of Sri Lanka's 2002 Ceasefire Agreement, according to an April 30 statement from the Scandinavian peace monitors, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM). The BBC reported that these bombings caused over 40,000 civilians to flee, and access to the injured was further hampered by the Sri Lankan military. Meanwhile, the SLMM reported they have significant evidence the government is involved in extra-judicial killings of ethnic Tamils. We have very strong indications that at least part of the government troops have been involved in these killings....The pattern is clear, the SLMM told Reuters May 11. These bombings and killings perpetuate a climate of fear for the Tamil people, distancing the entire island from a lasting and just peace. Thus far the Sri Lankan government has been able to pursue this violent strategy with impunity, flouting Geneva Protocol II Relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts. We are calling upon you to end this impunity immediately. Please pressure the Sri Lankan government to uphold international law and stop killing Tamil civilians immediately. |
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Jun 20, 2008 - Aftenposten
Peace brokers from around the world will once again gather for the annual Oslo Forum next week, to swap experience in conflict mediation. Participants include Mohammad Khatami, former president of Iran; Jonathan Powell, former chief of staff for ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Gareth Evans, president of the International Crisis Group. Read this article
As Sri Lanka's civil war escalates, so do attacks on its journalists
Jun 19, 2008 - AP
With civil war raging in Sri Lanka, the journalists trying to cover the conflict find themselves increasingly under siege. They have been hounded by the government, attacked by unknown assailants and accused of aiding the rebels. Many reporters have been arrested or fled the country, while others have resorted to self-censorship, journalists said.Read this article
Review of Sri Lanka under the Universal Periodic Review
Jun 14, 2008 - Amnesty International
Themes raised by member states participating in the review of Sri Lanka under the UPR dialogue included concerns related to the lack of protection of civilians caught in the internal conflict; enforced disappearances, unlawful/extrajudicial killings; torture and other forms of ill treatment, threats to freedom of expression, the need to strengthen national human rights institutions, attacks on dissent and ongoing impunity for human rights violations.
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Press freedom in Sri Lanka continues to deteriorate
Jun 13, 2008 - CPJ
The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by government’s policies toward journalists who write critically about the conflict between Sri Lanka’s military forces and Tamil secessionists. We have seen an increase in harassment, intimidation, and detention of reporters, many of whom are columnists in senior positions with well-established careers.
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S.Lanka says peace brokers can't visit rebel area
Jun 12, 2008 - Reuters
Sri Lanka has refused requests by Norwegian peace mediators to visit rebel territory, and said fresh peace talks hinged on Tamil Tiger guarantees to lay down arms and stick to a negotiation timetable. Nordic ceasefire monitors quit the country this year after the six-year Norway brokered truce disintegrated.
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