Tag Archives: Sri Lanka Human Rights

International tribunal needed on Sri Lanka

May 13, 2009 at 11:28 PM

While the fighting in Sri Lanka’s war zone reportedly intensified today, we saw a couple of firsts in terms of public statements on the crisis:  for the first time, the U.N. Security Council formally met and called on both of the warring parties to allow civilians to leave the conflict area.  President Obama also spoke out today on the conflict, for the first time since becoming President.  Both statements were very welcome; indeed, Amnesty International just today had called on both the Obama Administration and the Security Council to act to save the civilians trapped in the war zone.

The Sri Lankan government is pursuing its military offensive against the opposition Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who have been seeking an independent state for the Tamil minority in the north and east of the island.  The Sri Lankan military has now confined the LTTE to a small pocket of land on the northeast coast, about one square mile in all.  Trapped with the LTTE are an estimated 50,000 civilians who are being used by the LTTE as human shields and prevented from leaving the area.  Since January, AI estimates that more than 7,000 civilians have been killed and13,000 injured due to the fighting.

But while both of today’s statements are welcome, we need more pressure on both the government and the LTTE.  As AI said today, the Security Council must establish a Commission of Inquiry to investigate violations of the laws of war committed by both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE.  Officials on both sides need to understand that they’ll be held personally accountable for the war crimes their forces have been committing.  That’s our best hope to save the civilians still trapped in the war zone.  The Security Council must act immediately.  Thousands of innocent lives are at stake.

Satellite Imagery Offers Glimpse on Sri Lankan War Zone

May 12, 2009 at 3:11 PM
Before and After: Right image (May 10) shows significant removal of IDP shelters compared to left image (May 6). Copyright 2009 DigitalGlobe.

Before and After: Right image (May 10) shows significant removal of IDP shelters compared to left image (May 6). Copyright 2009 DigitalGlobe.

New satellite imagery analysis released by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) offers a glimpse on Sri Lanka’s northeastern war zone. The analysis – initially requested by Amnesty International USA and Human Rights Watch – compares two images from May 6 and May 10, 2009, in order to produce additional evidence on the recent attacks. It “reveals evidence of probable artillery shelling as well as major population displacement”, according to a press release by AAAS. The images show numerous possible shell impact craters and destroyed houses. The most visible feature of the image comparison is the removal of thousands of likely IDP shelters from the central part of the so-called “Safe Zone” between May 6 and May 10. The image analysis shows several new possible shell craters primarily in the area of removed IDP structures.

This image shows apparent impact craters in the “Safe Zone” on May 10, 2009, which were not present in the May 6 image. Copyright 2009 DigitalGlobe.

This image shows apparent impact craters in the “Safe Zone” on May 10, 2009, which were not present in the May 6 image. Copyright 2009 DigitalGlobe.

Over the weekend, more than 400 people – including more than 100 children – are reported to have been killed in a two-day bombardment of the 2 square kilometre area designated as a “Safe Zone” by the Sri Lankan army. Both sides have been accused of the attacks, with neither side taking responsibility. It is hard to determine who actually shelled the area, let alone the exact death toll or number of civilians in harm’s way, because journalists and outside organizations, except for the International Committee of the Red Cross, are not allowed in the area.  As a result, this has been dubbed a “war without witnesses“. On Sunday, the government deported a British news team, further weakening the transparency.

Despite calls from the UN to halt the bloodshed and protect civilians, reports today claimed that a school in the area that was converted to a makeshift hospital has been shelled, killing 47 and wounding more than 50. The hospital was housing many of the wounded from this weekend’s attacks. Many of those injured over the weekend were scheduled to be evacuated by the International Committee of the Red Cross today, as food and medical supplies are scarce, but this was unable to happen due to the continuation of heavy artillery fighting. In recent weeks, almost 200,000 civilians have fled the L.T.T.E. controlled area. The L.T.T.E must ensure that those civilians remaining in the area are protected, provided with basic necessities, and given the option to leave. In addition, the Sri Lankan government must end indiscriminate attacks on civilians and allow aid agencies and independent observers – including journalists – into the region so that the crisis is portrayed in a transparent way and those responsible for human rights violations can be held accountable.

Sri Lanka: While the UN talks, the killing goes on

May 12, 2009 at 8:29 AM

While members of the U.N. Security Council met informally in New York yesterday to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka’s war zone, there were claims of more civilian deaths from shelling in the zone.  The opposition Tamil Tigers accused government forces of killing at least 45 civilians in a fresh artillery attack, while the Sri Lankan government has denied any knowledge of the incident.  Since independent observers are barred from the conflict area, it’s impossible to confirm claims made by either side.

The Sri Lankan government has in recent months successfully reconquered most of the territory once controlled by the Tigers, who are seeking an independent state for the Tamil minority in the north and east of the island.  The Tigers are now confined to a small coastal strip, about two square miles, in northeastern Sri Lanka.  With the Tigers are an estimated 50,000 civilians who have been prevented by the Tigers from leaving the conflict area.  Hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured since the beginning of this year due to the fighting.

After the informal session at the U.N. Security Council yesterday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner asked a very pointed question:

“Are we waiting, all of us, to the end of the bombing, to the end of any life – not only suffering, but any life in this siege pocket?”

I hope we’re not waiting for that.  Please help keep that from happening.  Write to the Sri Lankan government and the Tigers today and ask that all attacks against civilians be stopped immediately.

UN: bloodbath now in Sri Lanka

May 11, 2009 at 8:16 AM

Yesterday, a doctor working in Sri Lanka’s war zone reported that at least 378 people were killed by shelling over the weekend.  The doctor said that 1,122 others had been injured and that the firing appeared to have come from the government side.  Gordon Weiss, the U.N. spokesman in Sri Lanka, said:

“We’ve been consistently warning against a bloodbath, and the large-scale killing of civilians including more than 100 children this weekend appears to show that the bloodbath has become a reality.”

Sri Lanka has been embroiled in a civil war for about 26 years between the government and the opposition Tamil Tigers, who seek an independent state for the Tamil minority in the north and east of the island.  Both sides have been responsible for massive human rights abuses during the conflict.  Since a 2002 ceasefire broke down in mid-2006, the government’s offensive has reconquered most of the territory once controlled by the Tigers.  The Tigers are now confined to a small coastal strip in northeastern Sri Lanka, surrounded by the Sri Lankan army.  With the Tigers are an estimated 50,000 civilians who are being held by the Tigers as human shields and prevented from fleeing the area.

The Sri Lankan government today said that the Tigers were responsible for the shelling that killed the civilians.  The government also claimed that the doctor reporting from the war zone was in no position to give an independent account “as he is virtually another captive of the Tigers.”  Since independent observers, including journalists, are barred from the war zone, it is difficult to verify reports from the war zone.

The U.N. Security Council is expected to have an informal session about Sri Lanka today.  The Sri Lankan Defence Secretary claimed that the Tigers were using the latest charge of civilian casualties in an attempt to influence the discussions at the Security Council.

Ahead of today’s meeting on Sri Lanka at the Security Council, Amnesty International and three other international organizations (Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group and Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect) issued a joint letter to the Japanese Prime Minister, urging Japan, as a member of the Security Council, to support formal action on Sri Lanka at the Council.  The Security Council has only considered Sri Lanka in informal settings so far; it would reportedly need to elevate discussion on Sri Lanka to a formal level before the Council could take action.

We can’t wait for the discussions at the Security Council, formal or informal.  Thousands more civilians may be dead long before the discussions ever result in any action.  Please write to the Tigers and the Sri Lankan government now; we need maximum international pressure on both sides to stop the bloodbath immediately.

Sri Lanka: Red Cross needs security guarantees

May 8, 2009 at 9:20 AM

Yesterday, a ferry chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) evacuated 495 sick and injured patients from the Sri Lankan war zone and delivered 25 metric tons of food for distribution to civilians trapped in the zone.   The ICRC reported that heavy fighting was taking place near the medical assembly point in the war zone, which was jeopardizing the lives of patients and hampering medical evacuations.    The ICRC has been delivering food and evacuating sick and wounded civilians from the war zone since February.

The Sri Lankan military has confined the opposition Tamil Tigers to a small strip of coastal land in northeastern Sri Lanka.  The Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for an independent state for the Tamil minority in the north and east of the island.  Trapped in the war zone with the Tigers are an estimated 50,000 civilians, who are being held by the Tigers as human shields.

The ICRC has called for security guarantees from both the Sri Lankan government and the Tigers so that it can safely deliver food and evacuate patients.  The Tigers have offered a security guarantee to the ICRC in response.  The Sri Lankan government has asked the ICRC to work things out with the Tigers; they haven’t offered any security guarantees, to my knowledge.

Both the ICRC and the Sri Lankan government acknowledge that the amount of food reaching the war zone is inadequate.  The Sri Lankan government should work with the ICRC immediately so that sufficient food can be delivered to the war zone and all the sick and injured evacuated without delay.

Shocking video from Sri Lankan camp for displaced civilians

May 7, 2009 at 8:11 AM

I just watched a shocking video from Channel 4 News, a British television company, taken inside one of the camps set up by the Sri Lankan government for civilians fleeing from the war zone.  The Sri Lankan government has in recent months reconquered much of the territory formerly held by the opposition Tamil Tigers, who have been seeking an independent state for the country’s Tamil minority in the north and east of the island.  As the Tigers have lost territory, they have forced thousands of Tamil civilians to move with them.  At this point, an estimated 50,000 civilians are still being held as human shields by the Tigers in a small coastal strip in northeastern Sri Lanka, surrounded by the Sri Lankan army on three sides.

Over 150,000 Tamil civilians have managed to flee the war zone this year.  They have been placed by the Sri Lankan government in camps which they are restricted from leaving.  Access to the camps by journalists and aid agencies is limited by the government.

The Channel 4 News video includes shocking claims of shortages of food and water, dead bodies left for days and even sexual abuse.  The Sri Lankan government has dismissed the claims in the video as Tiger propaganda.  AI cannot confirm whether the claims in the video are accurate or not.  We are asking that the Sri Lankan government allow independent observers, including journalists and aid agencies, full and prompt access to all of the camps.

Watch the video here:

U.N. calls for pause in Sri Lankan fighting

May 6, 2009 at 8:02 AM

Yesterday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a temporary pause in the fighting in Sri Lanka between the government forces and the opposition Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in order to allow humanitarian aid into the war zone to reach the trapped civilians there.  The Secretary-General also urged the LTTE to allow civilians to leave the area and to stop forced recruitment.

Today, the Sri Lankan government announced that President Rajapaksa had invited the Secretary-General to visit Sri Lanka to see for himself the situation of civilians displaced by the fighting.  It’s unclear whether Ban would be allowed to visit the war zone, though President Rajapaksa  apparently did say that Ban’s visit would permit him to be able to make a better assessment of the conditions faced by the civilians still being held by the LTTE in the war zone.  The Sri Lankan government still won’t permit a U.N. humanitarian mission to enter the conflict area despite an earlier agreement with the Secretary-General to do so.

I hope the Secretary-General takes up the President’s offer, goes to Sri Lanka and is able to visit all parts of the country in safety, including the war zone.  I also hope President Rajapaksa responds positively to the Secretary-General’s request and orders a temporary pause in the fighting to allow aid into the war zone.  I also hope the LTTE responds to the Secretary-General, allows civilians to leave the war zone and releases all child soldiers and other forced recruits.  I try to live in hope; it’s better than the alternative.

Sri Lanka: "Just Gimme Some Truth"

May 5, 2009 at 7:52 AM

Last Friday, I watched the Al Jazeera video, “Sri Lanka admits military bombed ‘no-fire’ zone,” in which the Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary denies, then admits, then denies again that the Sri Lankan military bombed in the government-designated “no-fire zone” in northeastern Sri Lanka.  Recently released U.N. satellite photos show craters that the U.N. said were most likely created by bombs dropped from planes since March 16.

Later that night, I found myself thinking of some lines from one of John Lennon’s songs:  “All I want is the truth/Just gimme some truth.”

Then, one of the songs from the soundtrack for the movie “Once” came to mind:  “You’re moving too fast for me/And I can’t keep up with you/Maybe if you slowed down for me/I could see you’re only telling/Lies, lies, lies.”

Obama salutes Tissainayagam

May 4, 2009 at 8:56 PM

In his May 1 statement in honor of World Press Freedom Day, President Obama singled out for recognition a few journalists unjustly imprisoned for their work:

In every corner of the globe, there are journalists in jail or being actively harassed:  from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe, Burma to Uzbekistan, Cuba to Eritrea.  Emblematic examples of this distressing reality are figures like J.S. Tissainayagam in Sri Lanka, or Shi Tao and Hu Jia in China.

Tissainayagam remains in prison today, solely for the “crime”  of being a journalist.  Please write to the Sri Lankan government today and ask that he be released immediately and all charges against him dropped.

New Satellite Images Show Bombardment of Sri Lankan "Safety Zone"

May 4, 2009 at 12:33 PM
Suspected site of multiple shelling craters within Civilian Safe Zone (c) Digital Globe 2009 / UNOSAT

Suspected site of multiple shelling craters within Civilian Safe Zone (c) Digital Globe 2009 / UNOSAT

UNOSAT released new satellite images of the Sri Lanka war zone. Conclusion:

Within the northern and southern sections of the Civilian Safe Zone (CSZ), there are new indications of building destruction and damages resulting from shelling and possible air strikes. (…) An additional 5 permanent buildings within the CSZ have been destroyed between 29 March & 19 April bringing the total estimate within the CSZ to approximately 60 main buildings destroyed. This count does not include potential damages to or destruction of IDP tent shelters. (…) Over five thousand of IDP shelters were relocated within the CSZ during April under pressure from increased shelling and military operations along the western sections of the CSZ. The approximate area of IDP settlement has further shifted eastward towards the coastline and south into the areas of heavy shelling between the villages of Karaiyamullivaikal and Vellamullivaikal.

While Franceso Pisano, manager of the UNOSAT program, declined to assign responsibility for the bombardments, Human Rights Watch’s Peter Bouckaert makes clear that the Sri Lankan Government is to blame: “This is incontrovertible evidence that the Government has been lying for months.”

Over the last few months, both the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government have been violating the laws of war. The Tamil Tigers have used civilians trapped in the conflict zone as a buffer against government forces. The Sri Lankan military has reportedly used heavy artillery despite the presence of a large civilian population in the conflict zone.

Despite a pledge by the government to stop using heavy weaponry, there was continued shelling on 28 April with 204 injured civilians admitted to a health facility in the hamlet of Mullivakkal, according to medical staff. Of these, 29 patients subsequently died.