Action Alert ArchiveInaction against civilian abuses resulting in dire situationMay 31, 2006 In the 23 year long conflict that has been raging in Sri Lanka, the last 4 years of relative peace is unprecedented for the youngest generation of people in Sri Lanka. Many civilians of the Northeast were overwhelmingly victimized by the collateral damage of the war - gunfire, aerial bombings, abductions, rape, arson. The February 2002 ceasefire and the peace efforts that accompanied it have made an incomparable improvement in ameliorating the conditions of suffering and silence endured by the populace. Sri Lanka's war began with an organized pogrom akin to Kristallnacht in which 3,000 members of the Tamil minority were massacred and their businesses razed to the ground, which was then hidden from the world's consciousness by a 3-day media blackout. The current peace process has, for the first time, brought light to the conflict and garnered the support of the international community. It has provided the incentive for both sides in the military conflict to purs ue peaceful ways of engaging the issues, thereby allowing the space needed for civilians to rebuild their lives and regain a sense of normalcy. It has been especially opportune for the victims of the December 2004 tsunami, most of whom are also victims of the war. The ceasefire, which survives by the balance of military forces, has been rendered meaningless by a recent escalation of violence. With the government using paramilitary groups as proxy troops, the covert shadow war that began in 2004 has now grown to become a low-intensity war, as noted by the ceasefire monitors. Many Tamil community leaders have also been systematically silenced through the assassinations of Members of Parliament, active human rights workers, and prolific journalists. In spite of the Geneva talks in February 2006 that intended to salvage the ceasefire, civilians were bombed from by the government airforce, their houses were shelled by mortars, families were brutally slaughtered, and a soon-to-be MP was assassinated. The residents of the Northeast all felt the effects of the embargoes on essentials, border closings, and debilitating terror of being the next hapless victim. The ceasefire, at its current rate of decline, risks total irrelevance in the very immediate future. Applying asymmetric pressure to this end, however, will tilt the balance of military forces away from the current deadlock and towards open conflict that will spell disaster for the all civilians who will be caught in the middle. To bring an end to the sophisticated silencing of the Tamil people and to genuinely address their grievances, we must apply sustained pressure on the government actors to desist, and in proportion to the suffering faced by the people. We request you to condemn the violence that threatens the collapse of the ceasefire. We also ask that you urge thorough investigations of each killing of innocent civilians to be diligently pursued until all perpetrators are brought to justice. Please pressure the Sri Lankan government to sincerely implement internal reforms to stop the killings of innocent civilians. |
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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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