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Stop Human Rights Abuses

  • Victims waiting for medical assistance after a shelling attack near the primary health center in Pokkanai on April 8, 2009. The incident is one of hundreds of incidents of attacks on civilians and civilian objects detailed in a recently released report from Office of War Crimes Issues of the US State Department.

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    Sri Lanka: US War Crimes Report Details Extensive Abuses

    A US State Department report on possible violations of the laws of war in Sri Lanka made public on October 22, 2009 shows the need for an independent international investigation.

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An Urgent Need for UN Action on Sri Lanka
More than 6,000 civilians have died in Sri Lanka in the past few months as government forces seek to end the 25-year-long war with the separatist Tamil Tigers. More than 90 civilians are reported to have died over the weekend in the shelling of a hospital inside the government's tragically misnamed "no-fire zone." And still the killing continues.

Reports

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Sri Lanka
  • Sri Lanka: Domestic Inquiry into Abuses a Smokescreen
    Oct 27, 2009

    The Sri Lankan government’s proposal to create a committee of experts to examine allegations of laws-of-war violations during the conflict between the government and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is an attempt to avoid an independent international inquiry

  • Japan: Break Silence on Sri Lanka Rights Abuses
    Oct 22, 2009

    Japan’s new administration should publicly press the Sri Lankan government to end the illegal detention of approximately 250,000 Tamil civilians, five Japanese and international human rights organizations said in a joint letter to Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, made public today.

  • Joint Letter to Japanese Foreign Minister on Sri Lanka
    Oct 22, 2009

    We write to you on the occasion of your inauguration as foreign minister of Japan to encourage you to make the promotion and protection of human rights a central priority in Japan’s relations with Sri Lanka. In particular, there is an urgent need to address the plight of approximately 250,000 displaced civilians detained in camps by the Sri Lankan government, and establish an independent international investigation into serious violations of international humanitarian law during the recent conflict.

  • Sri Lanka: US War Crimes Report Details Extensive Abuses
    Oct 22, 2009

    A US State Department report on possible violations of the laws of war in Sri Lanka made public on October 22, 2009 shows the need for an independent international investigation.

  • Sri Lanka: Government Breaks Promises That Displaced Can Go Home
    Oct 19, 2009

    The Sri Lankan government’s recent statements that it aims to return only 100,000 of the original 273,000 displaced civilians confined to camps by the end of 2009 breaks a promise to camp residents and the international community.

  • Sri Lanka: Tensions Mount as Camp Conditions Deteriorate
    Oct 9, 2009

    The Sri Lankan government should immediately release the 250,000 displaced Tamil civilians still held in detention camps.

  • Time to Tear Down the Wall of Caste
    Oct 9, 2009

    Governments in countries with caste systems should respond to the call from a top UN official to end this form of discrimination.

  • Sri Lanka: World Leaders Should Demand End to Detention Camps
    Sep 22, 2009

    World leaders in New York for the United Nations General Assembly and the G-20 economic summit in Pittsburgh should call on the Sri Lankan government to immediately release more than 260,000 displaced persons illegally confined in detention camps.

  • Letter to EU Foreign Ministers on IDPs in Sri Lanka Ahead of the UN General Assembly
    Sep 11, 2009

    We are writing in advance of the upcoming meetings of the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) and the High Level segment of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to encourage you to keep the plight of more than 260,000 displaced persons detained in camps by the Sri Lankan government at the forefront of your discussions.

  • Sri Lanka: Execution Video Shows Need for International Inquiry
    Aug 26, 2009

    A disturbing video recently provided to the media showing the apparent summary execution of prisoners by Sri Lankan soldiers underscores the need for an international commission of inquiry into possible war crimes committed by both sides during the armed conflict in Sri Lanka.

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