Search Results for: sri lanka civil war

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 High Commission in Sri Lanka posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday that 21 Indian fishermen, who were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy due to alleged involvement in illegal poaching in Sri Lankan waters, were repatriated from Sri Lanka to Chennai, India. Fishing is a bone of contention between India [...]

Sri Lankan Prison Commissioner Gamini Dissanayake announced earlier this week that President Ranil Wickremesinghe pardoned over 1,000 prisoners because of the Christmas holiday. The exact number released was 1,004, comprising 989 men and 15 women. A majority of those who were pardoned by the president Sunday were those accused of being unable to pay outstanding [...]

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 [...]