Justice For Sri Lanka On The Streets Of Chicago
Amnesty volunteers took to the streets of Chicago to collect petition signatures calling for justice in Sri Lanka.
Amnesty volunteers took to the streets of Chicago to collect petition signatures calling for justice in Sri Lanka.
Apart from the issue of war crimes that I’ve written about lately, there’s another urgent human rights crisis in Sri Lanka: thousands of people are being detained without charge or trial under the country’s repressive anti-terrorism laws. Some have been held for … Please continue reading.
This past Tuesday, Feb. 22, I had the privilege of accompanying Yolanda Foster, the Amnesty researcher on Sri Lanka, and Dr. Kasipillai Manoharan, the father of one of the “Trinco 5” students killed by the security forces in 2006, to the UN offices in New York as we delivered the signed petitions to the UN.
Update: the letter was sent to Secretary Clinton on Dec. 10, with 17 signatories! Here’s who signed: Sherrod Brown, Burr, Murray, Hutchison, Casey, Gillibrand, Hagan, Cornyn, Mikulski, Cardin, Lieberman, Lautenberg, Boxer, Feingold, Coons, Manchin and Menendez. Thanks to everyone who … Please continue reading.
Three Sri Lankan men (Sumith Mendis and his brother Indika Mendis, and Lasantha Wijeratne) were deported from Australia back to Sri Lanka, subsequently arrested and tortured in custody. All three are reportedly at risk of further torture. Please write to the Sri … Please continue reading.
Today is August 30, the International Day of the Disappeared, observed by Amnesty International and other human rights groups to remember victims of “enforced disappearance” around the world and to press for justice for them and their families. An “enforced disappearance” … Please continue reading.
You may not have heard about it, but a boatload of Sri Lankan Tamils recently arrived in Canada. The Washington Post published an article quoting a former State Dept. official who advocated summarily sending them all back to Sri Lanka. … Please continue reading.
As my colleague Christoph Koettl mentioned in his earlier post on this site, the State Department today issued its follow-up report on war crimes in Sri Lanka. Why a follow-up report? Last October, the State Department issued a report describing over 300 reported human … Please continue reading.
I remember vividly my recent encounter with Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, who angrily dismissed any concerns regarding alleged war crimes committed during Sri Lanka’s civil war. Unfortunately for the minister, and luckily for the human rights movement, I am not … Please continue reading.
Next Tuesday, August 10, will be the 200th day since the Sri Lankan journalist and cartoonist Prageeth Eknaligoda went missing after work. Amnesty International and other organizations have been calling on the Sri Lankan government to investigate his disappearance. In … Please continue reading.