Report by the UN panel on Tamil massacre in Sri Lanka indicts Sri Lanka stating that
‘ “an independent international mechanism” to investigate what it called credible allegations that both the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels committed serious violations, including some that could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, in the months before the decades-long war ended in May 2009…
“Most civilian casualties in the final phases of the war were caused by government shelling,…
Ban supported the recommendation, saying “that Sri Lanka should, first and foremost, assume responsibility for ensuring accountability for the alleged violations” and encouraged the government “to respond constructively.”
Under intense international pressure to investigate abuses, Sri Lanka did appoint a Lessions Learnt and Reconciliation Commission last year, but the U.N. panel said that body does not meet international standards and is compromised by the conflict of interest of several members.”
Ban Ki Moon’s spokesperson said he expects that a long-awaited UN report on alleged war crimes committed during the tail end of the Sri Lanka’s counter-insurgency campaign will go public. Bits of the report have been leaking out to local newspapers –and it paints a damning picture of the behavior of the Sri Lankan government’s final assault on territory controlled by the Tamil Tigers. Tens of thousands of civilians were likely killed. There is pretty strong evidence collected by human rights groups and journalists that the government deliberately targeted civilians.
“Sri Lankans must be allowed to see the panel’s findings. The report concerns a critical period in their recent history and they deserve to read it in full,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director.
“Ban Ki-moon said that ‘accountability is an essential foundation for durable peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka’. He must stick to his word – accounting for violations committed in the recent conflict is the first step to future reconciliation”.
The UN Panel of Experts was appointed in June 2010 to advise the Secretary General on accountability issues relating to violations of international human rights and humanitarian law alleged in the final stages of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, which ended in May 2009.
The panel was also asked to recommend a course of action that would ensure accountability, in line with a joint commitment made by President Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka and Ban Ki-moon on his visit to Sri Lanka in May 2009.
2:11 GMT] The Sierra Leone war crimes tribunal in The Hague has granted Charles G. Taylor, 62, the former Liberian president, who has been on trial charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the right to use two leaked American diplomatic cables as evidence to challenge the court’s impartiality. While the leaked information in the Taylor case was used by Taylor’s lawyer to raise doubts on the courts independence and suggested the prosecution was political, Sri Lanka‘s leaked cables from the US Embassy contain incriminating information on the complicity of Rajapakse family, Ex-SLA Commander Sarath Fonseka, and Tamil paramilitaries in war-crimes and crimes against humanity on Tamil civilians, legal sources in Washington said.
The Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) was set up jointly by the Government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations. It is mandated to try those who bear the greatest responsibility for serious violations of international humanitarian law and Sierra Leonean law committed in the territory of Sierra Leone since 30 November 1996.
While the statute governing the SCSL provides concurrent jurisdiction to the SCSL and National Courts of Sierra Leone, the SCSL is given primacy and the SCSL can request the Sierra Leone Court to “defer to SCSL’ s competence in the Rules of procedure and Evidence.”
The first cable – dated March 10th – quotes the US ambassador to Liberia, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, as saying that “all legal options should be studied to ensure that Taylor cannot return to destabilise Liberia”.
The second, dated April 15th, allegedly revealed that sensitive information about the trial was leaked to the US embassy in The Hague by “unnamed contacts” in the court and the office of the prosecutor.
Taylor insists his war crimes trial is based on “lies”. He claimed in a written application that the US cables “raise grave doubts about the independence and impartiality” of his trial.
The Tribunal judges, however, denied Taylor’s request to investigate and identify the sources within the court’s chamber, prosecution and registry who provided the US government with the information in the cables, saying “the evidence does not demonstrate whether these ‘contacts’ have any relationship with the US government capable of interfering with the independence or impartiality of the Court or any organ of the Court.”
Spokesperson for Tamils Against Genocide (TAG), a US-based activist group said, “this precedent setting decision by the United Nation’s sponsored war-crimes tribunal will likely guide similar evidence admissibility determinations in ICC and ICJ proceedings. When geopolitical conditions converge and UN members haul Sri Lanka to the ICC, the alleged war-criminals then have to confront Ambassadors Butenis and Robert O’Blake’s statements in a legal setting.”
Ambassador Butenis
A January 2010 cable from US Embassy in Sri Lanka, made public by Wikileaks acknowledges that U.S. is cognizant of the fact that “responsibility for many alleged crimes rests with the country’s senior civilian and military leadership, including President Rajapaksa and his brothers and opposition candidate General Fonseka.” Ambassador Butenis further reasons the lack of progress in internal investigations: “There are no examples we know of a regime undertaking wholesale investigations of its own troops or senior officials for war crimes while that regime or government remained in power.”
Robert O’Blake, Former Ambassador to Sri Lanka
Another WikiLeaks cable, dated 18th May 2007 from US embassy in Colombo, accuses Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse of giving orders to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) commanders in Jaffna not to interfere with Tamil paramilitaries who are “doing “work” that the military cannot do because of international scrutiny. The work referred to in the cable includes extra-judicial killings, extortion, abduction and prostitution by the Tamil paramilitary groups EPDP and Karuna Group. Both groups are led by Ministers in the present ruling Government in Sri Lanka.
“When Tamils continue with determination seeking justice and truth amid the cacophony of empty voices from the United Nations, and members of the international community, WikiLeaks has unexpectedly created unprecedented legal difficulty for the alleged war-criminals in Sri Lanka. WikiLeaks is an indispensible institution to the oppressed peoples,” TAG spokesperson added.
Follow the link to view the rape and execution of Tamils(Video). Emboldened by the apathy of the international community,Sri Lanka is brazenly challenging international community.Hear the Govt.officials on the ‘Jolly good time the NCO had with the Tamil women ‘.watch the extermination of Tamils.
Scared of being taken to task, Sri Lanka is now using strong-arm tactics to arm twisting the UN.
Let not international community commit the mistake of Chamberlain or overlook this as was in Serbia.
Time to subjugate Sri Lanka. http://www.oruclip.net/video/nuyXVV_e3Fk/SHOCKING-LEAK-SRI-LANKAN-ARMY-MASS-RAPE-AND-EXECUTION-OF-TAMIL-WOMEN-REPORT-BY-AUSTRALIAN-MEDIA.html
Story:
Embassies in Sri Lanka have expressed dismay over an “intimidating” protest which has blockaded the United Nations compound in the capital.
Hundreds of people are demonstrating against a UN panel investigating alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka.
Diplomatic missions including those of the UK, US and Germany said blocking access to the UN and “intimidating” its workers breached “international norms”.
There were chaotic scenes outside the UN offices as police were called in.
Ten embassies in the capital, Colombo, issued a joint statement on Saturday condemning the protests, which they said would harm Sri Lanka’s reputation on the international stage.
In the statement, they called upon the Sri Lankan government to take “all appropriate steps” to ensure the safety of the UN compound and staff.
War crimes allegations
The latest escalation comes a day after the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, urged Sri Lanka to “normalise conditions” around the UN office in Colombo after days of angry demonstrations.
On Thursday, Mr Ban recalled his top envoy to the island, Neil Buhne, and closed a regional office in Colombo.
Most UN staff managed to leave the compound after police tried to break the blockade in Colombo on Tuesday, before they too were ordered to leave by the government.
Several senior staff, however, remained inside and the protests, led by a government minister, were continuing.
A fetus at 20 weeks The argument that abortion is ok if the fetus does not feel the pain is flawed.Infliction of pain is complete the moment one who inflicts pain on the inflicted.It need not be supported by the feeling of pain by the afflicted.
If the argument that feeling of pain is to be confirmed then Hitler’s genocide of millions can be justified on the ground that cyclon B did not cause pain and disposed of people (scientists assert).
Mere intention to cause pain to others is a sin, assert Hindu scriptures.
We may not be able to help others for it depends on factors excluding us.
But avoiding hurting others is fully under our control.
Following this principle is the greatest of all Virtues.
Story: http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-human-condition/2010/06/25/does-the-fetus-feel-pain-uk-report-says-no.html
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