Action Alert

Archive

Take Action Now! (USA)


Bring Justice to Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields

July 14, 2011

Last month UK’s Channel 4 news aired Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields, a one-hour documentary that includes new video evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed between January and May 2009. The brutal videos and photographs–described as the most horrific Channel 4 has ever released–show hospitals in "no-fire zones" that were shelled and bombed by the Sri Lankan government at least 65 times, extrajudicial executions of Tamil prisoners by the Sri Lankan army, and dead bodies of females who show signs of rape and sexual abuse. The film also includes the photographed dead body of a female Tamil journalist as well as interviews with survivors of the conflict.

Former UN spokesperson Gordon Weiss is certain that the Government of Sri Lanka knew the military was intentionally shelling and bombing "no-fire zones," including 400,000 civilians and hospitals–a clear violation of international law. Weiss stated, "the attacks on these medical spaces seemed to be so consistent that the Tamil government doctors requested the ICRC to stop providing the coordinates to the government."

The UK and several human rights organizations are calling on the Sri Lankan government to investigate war crimes, however the government continues to reject this evidence, claiming it was fabricated. A forensic expert said that Channel 4′s footage provides "compelling evidence of systematic executions and likely sexual assault of female prisoners prior to execution."

House Resolution 177, introduced by Representatives Michael Grimm and Rush Holt, and supported by 32 of your colleagues, also calls for an independent and international mechanism to investigate war

crimes. Please join your colleagues in calling for justice in Sri Lanka by co-sponsoring Resolution 177.