Search Results for: sri lanka civil war

The UK government imposed sanctions Monday on four individuals held responsible for serious human rights abuses during Sri Lanka’s civil war. The 26-year conflict, which ended in May 2009, claimed an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 lives according to UN figures, with an estimated 40,000 Tamil civilians killed during the final stages of the war. The [...]

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned Sri Lankan authorities on Thursday for what it called their failure to uphold accountability and due process in the 2009 extrajudicial killing of investigative journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, urging decisive action to end the country’s “alarming record of impunity” in journalist killings. CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi denounced [...]

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), along with 24 civil society organizations, called on newly elected Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to prioritize press freedom in his administration. The groups, in a letter addressed to the president, called for urgent measures to address decades of violence, intimidation and legal repression faced by journalists in [...]

Peter Russell was a leading Canadian scholar of constitutional law who taught at the University of Toronto from 1958 to 1997.  Numerous Canadian Supreme Court judges have read and cited his work in their rulings. Professor Russell passed away on January 10, leaving behind an enormously rich academic legacy. Known for his openness, Peter Russell [...]

Sri Lanka elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake as its new president on September 21, marking the first time in the country’s history that a candidate outside the two major political parties has won the presidency. Dissanayake, representing the National People’s Power (NPP) coalition, defeated candidates from the long-dominant United National Party (UNP) and Sri Lanka Freedom [...]

Kagusthan Ariaratnam, a former child soldier turned defense analyst, speaks with JURIST about his new memoir Spy Tiger: The 05 File. The book, co-written with Michael Bramadat-Willcock, details Ariaratnam’s experiences during the Sri Lankan civil war (1983-2009). Forcibly recruited by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a youth, Ariaratnam later became an informant [...]

Human Rights Watch reported on Sunday that Sri Lankan authorities are repressing Hindus as well as other religious minorities, calling for a renewed UN resolution in an attempt to counter the oppressive actions of the government. According to the report, authorities in Sri Lanka are denying Hindus and other religious minorities access to places of [...]

Known for his pivotal role in international election monitoring, constitutional reform, and efforts to resolve Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict, Tiruchelvam’s legacy continues to inspire. His tragic death on July 29th, 1999, a consequence of his dedication to democratic solutions, marked a significant loss to the pursuit of justice and inclusivity. This article celebrates his enduring [...]

Last month marked 15 years since the end of the civil war between the Sri Lankan State and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) — a brutal conflict that spanned three decades and is estimated to have claimed between 70,000 and 100,000 lives. The country has hosted a series of events aimed at memorializing [...]

Sri Lankan security forces continue to impose abduction and torture on Tamil civilians, a Wednesday report from the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) revealed. The report analyzed the statements of 123 Tamils (aggregately detained for a total of 139 times) who were unlawfully detained by Sri Lankan security forces between 2015 and 2022, all [...]