Under President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s leadership, the Sri Lankan civil war reached a brutal conclusion on May 18, 2009, ending a 25-year-long conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist rebel group. Rooted in longstanding grievances, including discriminatory policies against Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority, the conflict saw the [...]
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Explainer: Competing Legislative Agendas Come to a Head in Sri Lanka
The year 2024 is an important one for Sri Lanka. It is a presidential election year, and a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council to gather evidence of international crimes for use in future prosecutions is due for renewal. After the public ousters of the former-elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2023, Ranil Wickremesinghe [...]
The Indian Supreme Court (SC) stayed Friday a Madras High Court order restoring defamation proceedings against Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who is the General Secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Tamil Nadu state’s largest opposition party. Palaniswami was sued for defamation by fellow AIADMK member K. C. Palanisamy, whom Palaniswamy accused of misusing [...]
India apex court rejects plea to dismiss minister from state cabinet on money laundering charges
The Supreme Court of India (SC) on Friday dismissed a plea against the Madras High Court’s September 2023 judgment that left it to the chief minister of the state of Tamil Nadu to decide if Minister V. Senthil Balaji, who was arrested due to his alleged involvement in money laundering linked to a jobs-for-cash scam [...]
Sri Lanka to establish independent commission for truth and reconciliation
The Sri Lankan government announced Friday the establishment an independent Commission for Truth, Unity and Reconciliation through an act introduced in Sri Lanka’s Parliament. The government stated that the commission is intended to “ensure an inclusive process in developing legislation that strengthens and safeguards national unity through truth, transitional justice, reconciliation, reparation and social cohesion.” The [...]
Crackdown on Tamil Commemoration: How Sri Lanka’s Use of Terrorism Law Sparks International Concern
Last week, Tamils in Sri Lanka and across the globe observed Maveerar Naal, an annual commemoration honoring fallen Tamil separatist soldiers of the Sri Lankan Civil War. In the aftermath of their observance, the Sri Lankan government conducted widespread arrests against Tamils who had participated. By November 30, the government had arrested at least 10 [...]
Global dispatch: international reporting and views on Israel-Gaza conflict vary
In this first-of-its-kind JURIST “global dispatch” on a single topic, 15 law students and young lawyers from around the world, all of them JURIST correspondents from outside of Israel and Palestine, join together to offer a panoramic view of how the current Gaza conflict is unfolding in their countries and regions. Beyond the headlines, they [...]
Opinion – Echoes of History: The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict and the Ghost of Colonialism Past
Editors’ note: On Oct. 7, Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israel, as a result of which at least 1,400 Israelis were killed and hundreds were taken hostage. In the days since, Israeli forces have launched a counter-offensive in Gaza that has taken thousands of Palestinian lives, according to local reports. As tensions continue [...]
India farmers protest against Cauvery Water Management Authority order to share river water
Asian News International (ANI) reported on Friday that farmers in the southern Indian state of Karnataka are protesting against an order to share water from the Cauvery River with the neighbouring State of Tamil Nadu. Protests have continued for over a week in both states. The city of Bangalore, home to many tech companies, has [...]
Resignation and flight of Sri Lanka judge sparks concern over nation’s judicial independence
The resignation letter of Sri Lankan Judge T. Saravanaraja emerged online Thursday, with media reports saying the judge fled the country. In the letter, addressed to the Secretary of Sri Lanka’s Judicial Services Commission, Judge Saravanaraja cited the “threat of my life and … lot of stress” as the reasons for his decision to step [...]