Action Alert ArchiveSri Lanka’s undeclared war on civiliansJanuary 11, 2006 Sri Lanka has been the site of indiscriminate attacks on civilians in recent weeks. This can be seen in the extraordinary murder of a prominent Member of Parliament while he attended Christmas church services, to the daily violence of assaulting women and killing students. These attacks have unequivocally targeted the minority Tamil population, as Sri Lanka approaches the brink of war. Investigations into the rape and murder of Ilayathamby Tharshini, a 20-year old woman in Jaffna whose mutilated body was found in a well adjacent to the Sri Lankan Navy base, have further asserted the guilt of Navy personnel in this heinous crime. Incriminating belongings of Navy soldiers were found around the site of her gang rape and killing, according to human rights groups in the area. These reports come as women in other Sri Lankan Army-occupied areas describe daily harassment from Army personnel. Such crimes by government soldiers have grown so commonplace as to be expected by civilians: after finding Tharsini’s brutalized body in the well, villagers felt compelled to camp the night next to the well to ensure the Navy could not further destroy her body before the postmortem the following day. Another school-girl was abducted by Sri Lankan soldiers in Jaffna this week, according to residents who witnessed this attack. The child was walking home from school when four Army soldiers approached her and dragged her away. Also this week Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission reported the “disappearance” of 16 Tamils after being arrested by security forces in Jaffna, an alarming reminder of years during the war when hundreds of Tamils were arrested and never seen again, earning Sri Lanka Amnesty International’s infamous distinction of being home to the most disappearances in the world in 1991. Attacks on the Tamil minority are endemic across all areas of Army control: while celebrating the New Year, five students were shot in Trincomalee in an “execution style” according to Norwegian peace monitors, and eye-witnesses attribute the killings to Navy soldiers. Peaceful protests against these attacks have been met with Army aggression, as soldiers violently threaten those who dare speak out against the oppressions of occupancy. The media has even been attacked for reporting on these injustices: a reporter for the Associated Press petitioned for a redress of grievances to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse after being beaten by Army personnel for covering non-violent protests by University of Jaffna students and faculty against government occupation. The offices of two Tamil daily papers in Jaffna have been repeatedly searched without any provocation, as civil society gets increasingly agitated against ongoing injustices perpetuated by the Sri Lankan government. The security situation in Sri Lanka is clearly deteriorating, as December saw the most blood shed since the start of the ceasefire. However, attacks on unarmed women and students must be firmly condemned irrespective of the country’s security conditions. We are asking you to demand that the Sri Lankan government stop the slayings of Tamil 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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