"SELF DETERMINATION IS KEY TO THE WORLD PEACE"
Rajapakse case, a legal pioneer, reaches historic milestone, says Fein?
[Wednesday, 21 December 2011 05:00] Featured, General, Misc, News
Published On: Tue, Dec 20th, 2011
By eelamaran
An historic legal milestone was passed last Friday in the Torture Victims Protection Act (TVPA) lawsuit against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the extra-judicial killings of six Sri Lankan Tamils pending in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, attorney for the plaintiffs, Bruce Fein said. A lawyer representing President Rajapaksa from the mega-law firm Patton Boggs LLC tacitly acknowledged receipt of the complaint and summons filed by the Plaintiffs in a motion to request the District Court to ask the U.S. Department of State for its views about the lawsuit. “The motion filed by President Rajapaksa formally brings him into the case, where for the first time he will be accountable to the rule of law, not the rule of the jungle,” Fein added.
Excerpts from Fein’s statement to TamilNet follow:
Bruce Fein, former US Associate Deputy Attorney General
“It can be anticipated that Patton Boggs will launch a massive lobbying effort at the State Department and in Congress in hopes of eliciting executive and legislative opposition to the TVPA lawsuit voiced to the United States District Court. The District Judge, however, has the final word irrespective of the President or Congress.
“We urgently need Tamil expatriates’ generous support to launch an ambitious counter-campaign to recruit human rights groups, Nobel Peace Prize winners, former State Department officials who headed its human rights bureau, Members of Congress, and the media in favor of litigating the TVPA claims and against any legal immunity for President Rajapaksa.
“This case is a legal pioneer in several respects, and the legal research and analysis to litigate will be challenging. But if we can prevail on the immunity question, then countless other victims of President Rajapaksa’s signature human rights atrocities could file TVPA suits by piggy-backing on our legal victory. Among other things, President Rajapaksa is claiming act of state, sitting head of state, foreign sovereign immunity, political question, and personal jurisdiction defenses.
“We all know that the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission report is a joke to enable President Rajapaksa to escape accountability for his endless human rights crimes. The pending TVPA lawsuit in the United States is our best hope to foil that ignominious escape,” Fein told TamilNet.
Chronology:
18.12.11 Rajapakse case, a legal pioneer, reaches historic ..
17.12.11 Rajapakse accepts Court summons, asks US to confer..
04.12.11 War crime litigations reach crucial phase in US co..
23.11.11 Judge Kotelly to decide Rajapakse’s legal fate in ..
19.10.11 Rajapakse says will defy Court Order, Shavendra hi..
14.10.11 US Court authorizes use of TamilNet to serve Rajap..
01.10.11 Rajapakse, an enemy of all mankind, filed U.S. Cou..
20.09.11 Rajapakse has no immunity against war crimes prose..
06.08.11 US Court rules Rumsfeld can be sued for torture
27.06.11 Colombo fears judgment against Rajapakse in US Cou..
18.06.11 Hague summons reaches Rajapakse for US Court case
02.06.11 U.S. case: Rajapakse ducks service, Court order so..
09.02.11 DC Court to serve summons to Rajapakse
29.01.11 Ambassador, an honest man sent to lie for Sri Lank..
28.01.11 Rajapaksa sued in US Courts over war-crimes, plain..
23.01.11 TAG to file civil case against Rajapakse in Texas ..
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Global Peace Support Group UK Ltd is a registered organisation based in London. The organisation dedicated to be involved in humanitarian and other related issues. We also work along with other similar organisations to promote peace and harmony among various societies..
GLOBAL PEACE SUPPORT GROUP - UK - TIRELESSLY WORK ON THE CONCEPT OF:
"SELF DETERMINATION IS KEY TO THE WORLD PEACE"
MOURNS ON THE CONTINUED TRAGEDY OF THE PEOPLE OF North & East of Tamil EELAM WITH THE HOPE OF ALL OF OUR ENDEAVOURS WOULD BRING AN END TO THOSE SUFFERING DURING THE YEAR AHEAD.
The International community has a duty towards the long suffering Sri Lankan Tamil population to restore their rights of SELF DETERMINATION.
Global Peace Support Group - believes that this is the ONLY way for a permanent PEACE in Sri Lanka.
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