UN Rights Chief Urged to Request UN Security Council to Ensure Witnesses protection to UN Sri Lanka Investigation: TGTE
Applicable International Criminal Law is Crime of Genocide
http://world.einnews.com/pr_news/222527790/un-rights-chief-urged-to-request-un-security-council-to-ensure-witnesses-protection-to-un-sri-lanka-investigation-tgte
UN Urged to warn the Sri Lankan government of the consequences for its tactic of intimidation and persecution of potential witnesses for UN War Crimes Investigation.
Non-cooperation by the Sri Lankan government is one thing; but, persecution of potential witnesses is another.
Applicable International Criminal Law is Crime of Genocide.
UN Human Rights Chief Urged to Request the UN Security Council to Ensure Witnesses protection to UN War Crimes Investigation on Sri Lanka.
The Prime Minister of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam Mr. Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran sent a letter congratulating the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein for his new position. Noting his impressive human rights credentials, the letter stated that the TGTE is confident that Prince Al Hussein will be the “conscience for the world in the coming years.”
The TGTE also congratulated the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for issuing the Terms of Reference with respect to the investigation into violations on human rights, and other related crimes in the island of Sri Lanka mandated by the Human Rights Council Resolution (A/HRC/RES/25/1).
Commenting on the necessity of contextual analysis when identifying the nature of the crimes perpetrated in the island of Sri Lanka, the TGTE commended the Commission on its willingness to consider evidence outside of its established timeframe of 2002 to November 2011. The letter pointed out that contextual analysis is essential to identify the nature of the crimes.
Highlighting the explicit and covert threats made by Sri Lankan politico-military leaders to potential witnesses, the TGTE emphasized the importance of witness protection in fact finding. It was also asserted in the letter that, “Non-cooperation by the Sri Lankan government is one thing; but, persecution of potential witnesses is another.”
Pointing out the recent robust interactions between the UN Security Council and OHCHR, the TGTE called upon OHCHR to request the UN Security Council to “seize the matter of the protection of witnesses,” and to warn the Sri Lankan government of the consequences for its tactic of “intimidation and persecution of potential witnesses.”
Moreover, it was also noted in the letter that the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) is also required to apply international criminal law identified in the Rome Statue to the International Criminal Court comprised of crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
In closing, the TGTE thanked OHCHR for its efforts in advancing human rights around the globe.
The TGTE also sent a letter to the outgoing OHCHR Commissioner, Hon. Navanetham Pillay, praising her work on Libya, North Korea, Sri Lanka and Syria and noting that she was the first High Commissioner to push the UN to recognize and protect gay rights, along with championing the abolition of capital punishment in the UN. In conclusion, it was stated that as she moved on she is certain to continue to be “squarely and unequivocally on the side of victims.”
BACKGROUND:
Tamils have faced repeated mass killings since 1958 and the mass killings in 2009 prompted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to appoint a Panel of Experts to report on the scale of killings.
According to the report by this UN Panel, tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed and women were sexually abused and raped by the Sri Lankan Security Forces (According to UN Internal Review Report over 70,000 Tamils were killed in five months in 2009).
These Tamils were killed due to deliberate and intense shelling and bombing of areas designated by the government as "no-fire zones", where Tamil civilians had assembled for safety. The Sri Lankan Government also restricted food and medicine for Tamils, resulting in large numbers of people dying from starvation and many of the injured bleeding to death.
According to the UN Panel, the killings and other abuses that took place amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Independent experts believe that there are elements of these abuses that constitute an act of genocide.
According to a May 2012 report by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Human Rights and Democracy; there are up to 90,000 Tamil war widows in the North-East of Sri Lanka.
UN Human Rights Council in March 2014 established an international war crimes investigation to investigate these killings and the investigations have begun.
A Buddhist Monk shot and killed a Sri Lankan Prime Minister over 56 years ago (in 1958) for having talks with Tamil political leaders to find a solution to the conflict.
Members of the Sri Lankan security forces are almost exclusively from the Sinhalese community and the victims are all from the Tamil community. According to several sources, Tamil areas have the highest concentration of security forces in the world (Ratio: For every five civilian one military).
Tamils overwhelmingly voted in a Parliamentary election in 1977 to establish an independent and sovereign country called Tamil Eelam. This Parliamentary election was conducted by the Sri Lankan Government.
Currently, the sixth Amendment to the Sri Lanka’s Constitution prohibits Tamils from expressing their political aspirations in peaceful and democratic manner.
ABOUT TRANSNATIONAL GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL EELAM (TGTE):
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) is a democratically elected Government of Tamils (from the island of Sri Lanka) living in several countries. TGTE was formed after the mass killing of Tamils by the Sri Lankan Government in 2009.
TGTE held internationally supervised elections among Tamils around the world to elect 132 Members of Parliament and is leading a campaign to realize Tamils’ political aspirations through peaceful, diplomatic and democratic means.
TGTE has a bicameral legislature and a Cabinet and held one of its Parliamentary sittings in the British Parliament. The Constitution of the TGTE mandates that it should realize its political objective only through peaceful means.
The Prime Minister of TGTE is Mr. Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, a New York based lawyer.
Contact: media@tgte.org
Phone: +33-699-33-2705
Applicable International Criminal Law is Crime of Genocide
http://world.einnews.com/pr_news/222527790/un-rights-chief-urged-to-request-un-security-council-to-ensure-witnesses-protection-to-un-sri-lanka-investigation-tgte
UN Urged to warn the Sri Lankan government of the consequences for its tactic of intimidation and persecution of potential witnesses for UN War Crimes Investigation.
Non-cooperation by the Sri Lankan government is one thing; but, persecution of potential witnesses is another.
Applicable International Criminal Law is Crime of Genocide.
UN Human Rights Chief Urged to Request the UN Security Council to Ensure Witnesses protection to UN War Crimes Investigation on Sri Lanka.
The Prime Minister of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam Mr. Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran sent a letter congratulating the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein for his new position. Noting his impressive human rights credentials, the letter stated that the TGTE is confident that Prince Al Hussein will be the “conscience for the world in the coming years.”
The TGTE also congratulated the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for issuing the Terms of Reference with respect to the investigation into violations on human rights, and other related crimes in the island of Sri Lanka mandated by the Human Rights Council Resolution (A/HRC/RES/25/1).
Commenting on the necessity of contextual analysis when identifying the nature of the crimes perpetrated in the island of Sri Lanka, the TGTE commended the Commission on its willingness to consider evidence outside of its established timeframe of 2002 to November 2011. The letter pointed out that contextual analysis is essential to identify the nature of the crimes.
Highlighting the explicit and covert threats made by Sri Lankan politico-military leaders to potential witnesses, the TGTE emphasized the importance of witness protection in fact finding. It was also asserted in the letter that, “Non-cooperation by the Sri Lankan government is one thing; but, persecution of potential witnesses is another.”
Pointing out the recent robust interactions between the UN Security Council and OHCHR, the TGTE called upon OHCHR to request the UN Security Council to “seize the matter of the protection of witnesses,” and to warn the Sri Lankan government of the consequences for its tactic of “intimidation and persecution of potential witnesses.”
Moreover, it was also noted in the letter that the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) is also required to apply international criminal law identified in the Rome Statue to the International Criminal Court comprised of crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
In closing, the TGTE thanked OHCHR for its efforts in advancing human rights around the globe.
The TGTE also sent a letter to the outgoing OHCHR Commissioner, Hon. Navanetham Pillay, praising her work on Libya, North Korea, Sri Lanka and Syria and noting that she was the first High Commissioner to push the UN to recognize and protect gay rights, along with championing the abolition of capital punishment in the UN. In conclusion, it was stated that as she moved on she is certain to continue to be “squarely and unequivocally on the side of victims.”
BACKGROUND:
Tamils have faced repeated mass killings since 1958 and the mass killings in 2009 prompted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to appoint a Panel of Experts to report on the scale of killings.
According to the report by this UN Panel, tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed and women were sexually abused and raped by the Sri Lankan Security Forces (According to UN Internal Review Report over 70,000 Tamils were killed in five months in 2009).
These Tamils were killed due to deliberate and intense shelling and bombing of areas designated by the government as "no-fire zones", where Tamil civilians had assembled for safety. The Sri Lankan Government also restricted food and medicine for Tamils, resulting in large numbers of people dying from starvation and many of the injured bleeding to death.
According to the UN Panel, the killings and other abuses that took place amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Independent experts believe that there are elements of these abuses that constitute an act of genocide.
According to a May 2012 report by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Human Rights and Democracy; there are up to 90,000 Tamil war widows in the North-East of Sri Lanka.
UN Human Rights Council in March 2014 established an international war crimes investigation to investigate these killings and the investigations have begun.
A Buddhist Monk shot and killed a Sri Lankan Prime Minister over 56 years ago (in 1958) for having talks with Tamil political leaders to find a solution to the conflict.
Members of the Sri Lankan security forces are almost exclusively from the Sinhalese community and the victims are all from the Tamil community. According to several sources, Tamil areas have the highest concentration of security forces in the world (Ratio: For every five civilian one military).
Tamils overwhelmingly voted in a Parliamentary election in 1977 to establish an independent and sovereign country called Tamil Eelam. This Parliamentary election was conducted by the Sri Lankan Government.
Currently, the sixth Amendment to the Sri Lanka’s Constitution prohibits Tamils from expressing their political aspirations in peaceful and democratic manner.
ABOUT TRANSNATIONAL GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL EELAM (TGTE):
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) is a democratically elected Government of Tamils (from the island of Sri Lanka) living in several countries. TGTE was formed after the mass killing of Tamils by the Sri Lankan Government in 2009.
TGTE held internationally supervised elections among Tamils around the world to elect 132 Members of Parliament and is leading a campaign to realize Tamils’ political aspirations through peaceful, diplomatic and democratic means.
TGTE has a bicameral legislature and a Cabinet and held one of its Parliamentary sittings in the British Parliament. The Constitution of the TGTE mandates that it should realize its political objective only through peaceful means.
The Prime Minister of TGTE is Mr. Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, a New York based lawyer.
Contact: media@tgte.org
Phone: +33-699-33-2705
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