Dublin Tribunal Finds Against Sri Lankan on Charges of War Crimes

southern asia | imperialism / war | non-anarchist press Monday January 18, 2010 09:07 by Irish Forum for Peace in Sri Lanka

In Dublin today at 2pm the Peoples Tribunal chairman FranCois Houtart read the preliminary findings of the Peoples Tribunal on the war in Sri Lanka and its aftermath.

DUBLIN TRIBUNAL FINDS AGAINST SRILANKA ON CHARGES OF WAR CRIMES

In Dublin today at 2pm the Peoples Tribunal chairman FranCois Houtart read the preliminary findings of the Peoples Tribunal on the war in Sri Lanka and its aftermath. There are 4 findings:

1. That the Sri Lankan Government is guilty of war crimes

2. That the Sri Lankan Government is guilty of crimes against humanity

3. That the charge of genocide requires further investigation

4. That the International Community, Particularly the UK and USA, share responsibility for the breakdown of the peace process.

Harrowing evidence including video footage was submitted y eye witnesses of the use of heavy artillery and phosphorous munitions, and of the continuous violation of human rights by military activity to a panel of 10 international jurors over two days. Irish members of the jury were Denis Halliday and Mary Lawlor.

The Irish Forum for Peace in Sri Lanka welcomed the preliminary findings of the tribunal.

Responding to the findings the forum issued the following five demands:

1. We call on the Sri Lankan Government to allow the UN to conduct an inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated during the final stages of the war between the Sri Lankan armed forces and the LTTE, and during the war’s aftermath.

2. We call on the Sri Lankan Government to release all those being detained in concentration camps and the estimated 11,000 people being held secretly at unknown locations.

3. We call on the Sri Lankan Government to end the use of extra-judicial killings, sexual violence and the deprivation of food and water as weapons against a civilian population.

4. We call on the Sri Lankan Government to end the suppression of political dissent by violent or other means.

5. We call on the Sri Lankan Government to fully implement human rights for all citizens of Sri Lanka and a political solution involving the full participation of the Tamil population, ending the systematic historical discriminatory measures of the Sri Lankan state against the Tamil people.

Irish Forum for Peace in Sri Lanka asserts that long term peace and stability can only be established on the basis of full justice and rights for all the inhabitants of the island.