Global Tamil Diaspora launches a campaign on 4 February 2022, for publicly banning of the credibly alleged war criminals in Sri Lanka. This day marks Sri Lanka’s 74th anniversary of Independence, a day of mourning but with hope and optimism for the Tamil people from Sri Lanka.
About the Campaign:
The undersigned global Tamil diaspora organizations, representing over one million Tamil people who fled from Sri Lanka due to the atrocity crimes committed against the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan State apparatus, request governments in their respective countries of residence to publicly place a ban on the Sri Lankan war criminals against whom credible evidence has been recorded as per the Report of the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) released on 16 September 2015. This report specifically identified eighteen Sri Lankan personnel for having command responsibility for committing atrocity crimes towards the end of the war in 2008-09.
Campaign Objective
Encouraged by this report and the successful passage of the UNHRC Resolution 46/1, this campaign aims at persuading the respective countries to;
- Place a public ban on the 18 credibly alleged war criminals listed in the Report of the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) 16 September 2015
- Impose a travel ban and asset freeze on these 18 persons and their families
- Use Universal Jurisdictional avenues applicable to subject them through a judicial process in member states
Expected Outcome
Some countries, including Brazil, Canada, United States of America (U.S.A), United Kingdom (UK) and some in Europe are rejecting some selected Sri Lankan war criminals credibly accused of atrocity crimes from entering or expelling them from the respective countries. Recently the State Department of the U.S.A publicly banned two Sri Lankan army officers and their family’s entry into the USA. Similarly, the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2020 issued a statement designating Shavendra Silva, current Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, ineligible for entry into the USA, due to his involvement in extrajudicial killings and gross violations of human rights citing serious and credible evidence.
The Tamil victims of Genocide expect countries valuing democracy, rule of law and human rights to come forward to help achieve the campaign objectives listed above.
Campaign Plea
We call on our host countries and other UN Member states, the international non-governmental organisations, the public and the media to support the UN and its various institutions in their valiant efforts taken to offer remedial justice to a people who have been subject to a brutal national oppression with genocidal intent by the successive Sri Lankan Governments since gaining independence from the British in 1948.
We call the Global Tamil organisations and other institutions upholding truth, human rights and justice to join the campaign “Public Ban on Sri Lankan War Criminals” formally launched on 04 February 2022, Sri Lanka’s 74th Independence Day.
Further details will follow.
Credibly alleged war criminals listed in the Report of the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL)
- Mahinda Rajapaksa – Prime Minister, then President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
- Gotabaya Rajapaksa – President, then Defense Secretary
- General Sarath Fonseka
- Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva
- Major General Sathyapriya Liyanage
- Major General Kamal Gunaratne
- Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe
- Major General Nanda Mallawarachchi
- Major General Jagath Dias
- Major General Jagath Jayasuriya
- Brigadier Prasanna Silva
- Brigadier Nandana Udawatta
- Brigadier Chagie Gallage
- Colonel G.V. Ravipriya
- Admiral Wasantha Kumar Jayadewa Karannagoda
- Admiral Thisara S. G. Samarasinghe
- Admiral Dissanayake Wijesinghe Arachchilage Somatilake Dissanayake
- C.N.Wakishta
For Contact details:
Australian Tamil Congress (ATC): +61300660629, mano_manics@hotmail.com
British Tamils Forum (BTF): +447814486087, info@britishtamilsforum.org
Irish Tamils Forum (ITF): 0035389959270, irishtamilsforum@gmail.com
Maison du Tamil Eelam (France): +33652725867, mte.france@gmail.com
National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT): +14168307703, info@ncctcanada.ca
Solidarity Group for Peace and Justice (SGPJ – South Africa): pregasenp@telkomsa.net
Swiss Tamil Action Group (STAG): +41764450642, swisstamilag@gmail.com
Tamil Movement Against Genocide (Mauritius): +230 5728 5505, tamilmagen0@gmail.com
United States Tamil Action Group (USTAG): +12025953123, info@theustag.org
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