SRI LANKA’S security forces abducted men and women from the ethnic Tamil minority and tortured them in custody long after the end of civil war in the island nation, a human rights group said in a new report.
The 26-year civil war between separatist Tamil insurgents and government forces ended in 2009. Rights groups accuse both sides of abuses during the conflict in which 80,000-100,000 people died, according to United Nations estimates.
In its report, the Londonbased International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) which has been documenting alleged abuses in Sri Lanka, cited details of 123 Tamils who said they were beaten, burnt, suffocated and sexually assaulted by Sri Lankan authorities between 2015-2022. Sri Lanka rejects the ITJP allegations, a government minister said last Wednesday (8).
The report, titled ‘Disappearance, Torture and Sexual violence of Tamils, 2015-2022’, said 11 of the 123 were allegedly detained after Ranil Wickremesinghe took over as Sri Lanka’s president in July 2022. Wickremesinghe was appointed after large-scale protests triggered by a spiralling financial crisis forced president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and later resign from his post.
“The analysis in the current report confirms arbitrary and unlawful detentions between 2009 and 2015 were systemic and structurally entrenched, (and) could just as well have been written about the seven-year period between 2015 to 2022,” the report said, adding the alleged victims were seeking asylum in Britain.
“It is unlikely to stop unless the international community exerts greater pressure on Sri Lanka to deal with security sector reform and to root out those officials responsible for this culture of violence directed against Tamils,” said Yasmin Sooka, ITJP’s executive director.
Asked by Reuters about the report, Tharaka Balasuriya, state minister of foreign affairs, said Sri Lanka had taken multiple steps since the end of the war to address human rights concerns and promote reconciliation including releasing land to Tamil owners, limiting the military to camps in the north and east of the country, and appointing officials to look into cases of people reported missing. “We look at human rights as a continuous process and we are committed to engaging with international partners including nongovernmental organisations to take the reconciliation process forward,” Balasuriya added.
Sri Lanka is also working towards appointing a commission for truth, unity and reconciliation, as outlined before the UNHRC, he said.
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)