New report finds torture and sexual violence against Tamils in Sri Lanka increasing

21 March 2014

Yaumin Suco , Author of the report at HR !" presenting the report #$sunanda deshapri%a&

A report released today on Sri Lanka - An Unfinished War: Torture and Sexual Violence in Sri Lanka, 200 - 20!" concludes that #a$duction, ar$itrary detention, torture, rape and sexual %iolence has increased in the post-&ar period# a'ainst Ta(il people $y Sri Lankan security forces and there &as #a pri(a facie case of post-&ar cri(es a'ainst hu(anity $y the Sri Lankan security forces, &ith respect to )a* torture and )$* rape and sexual %iolence+# ,escri$in' the %iolations carried out $y the Sri Lankan security forces as #&idespread and syste(atic#, the report also concluded that the %iolations #occur in a (anner that indicates a coordinated, syste(atic plan appro%ed $y the hi'hest le%els of 'o%ern(ent+# -utlinin' the Sri Lankan 'o%ern(ent.s failure to deli%er /ustice, the authors called for an independent international in0uiry at the U1234, and called upon the U1 Security 4ouncil #to refer this report, &hich indicates

reasona$le 'rounds to $elie%e that cri(es a'ainst hu(anity are occurrin' in Sri Lanka to the prosecutor of the 5nternational 4ri(inal 4ourt for further action a'ainst those &ho $ear the 'reatest responsi$ility#+ As an alternati%e, the authors ur'ed the 544 6rosecutor to #explore the cases of indi%iduals &ho $ear the 'reatest responsi$ility and &ho hold a nationality of a State 6arty to the 3o(e Statute+# 6roduced $y hu(an ri'hts la&yer and co-author of the U1 6anel of 7xperts report on (ass atrocities in Sri Lanka, 8as(in Sooka, as &ell as the U9 :ar 2u(an 3i'hts 4o((ittee of 7n'land and Wales ):234* and the 5nternational Truth ;a(p< =ustice 6ro/ect, Sri Lanka, the report dra&s on testi(onies, (edical exa(inations and psychiatric assess(ents fro( "0 %icti(s - Ta(il (en and &o(en &ho had sou'ht asylu( in the U9+ All the testi(onies relate to incidents that ha%in' taken place since the end of the ar(ed conflict in 200 , &ith (ore than half ha%in' taken place in the last t&o years, and so(e as recently as >e$ruary 20!"+ #The cases of torture, rape and sexual %iolence descri$ed in this report are /ust a s(all sa(ple of those cri(es likely to ha%e $een co((itted a'ainst Ta(ils,# said 8as(in Sooka+ #The international co((unity (ust act no& other&ise such atrocities &ill continue to define post-conflict Sri Lanka+# The report is due to $e for(ally launched later today, at the 4anadian 2i'h 4o((ission in London+

See full report here+

9ey findin's of the report: ' A$duction, ar$itrary detention, torture, rape and sexual %iolence ha%e increased in the post-&ar period+ Tar'eted for these %iolations are LTT7 suspects, or those percei%ed as ha%in' $een connected to, or supporters of, the LTT7+ The purported ai( is to extract confessions and?or infor(ation a$out the LTT7 and to punish the( for any in%ol%e(ent &ith the or'anisation+ ' These &idespread and syste(atic %iolations $y the Sri Lankan security forces occur in a (anner that indicates a coordinated, syste(atic plan appro%ed $y the hi'hest le%els of 'o%ern(ent+ @e($ers of the Sri Lankan security forces are secure in the

kno&led'e that no action &ill $e taken a'ainst the(+ ' This report esta$lises a pri(a facie case of post-&ar cri(es a'ainst hu(anity $y the Sri Lankan security forces, &ith respect to )a* torture and )$* rape and sexual %iolence+ 7xtracts fro( the %icti(s. testi(ony reproduced $elo&: Witness !", @ale 2e raped (e $y forcin' his penis in (y anus and in (y (outh+ 2e &as %ery %iolent+ 5 &as an'ry and &ould try to fi'ht hi(+ 5 $e''ed hi( not to+ 2e said that the Ta(ilAs peopleAs (ouths &ere only 'ood for oral sex+B Witness !C, @ale: The door to &here the &o(en &ere kept &as li'htly open+ 5 sa& a fe(ale cadre lyin' on her $ack on the floor+ She &as totally naked+ 5 clearly sa& a soda $ottle sho%ed inside her %a'ina+ 2er ar(s &ere spread out &ide, as &ere her le's+ The door &as not open enou'h to see the other t&o 'irls+ 5 could not tell if the 'irl or the others &ere ali%e+ 1one of the( &as (akin' any sound and the 'irl 5 sa& &as not (o%in'+D Witness 2E, >e(ale: They took off (y $lindfold and 'a' and untied (y hands+ 5 &as alone+ 5 could hear other &o(en screa(in' in pain and 5 $elie%ed at first that it &as a special detention centre for &o(en+ When 5 &as (o%ed to a second roo(, 5 started hearin' (en cryin' and screa(in' as &ell, ni'ht and day+ The &o(en screa(ed the Ta(il &ord FA((aA - or F(otherA+ 5 could also hear other (ale %oices that &ere an'ry and usin' s&ear &ords in Sinhala and there &as a $an'in' noise co(in' fro( the sa(e direction+D Witness 20, @ale: They hun' (e upside do&n, three ti(es+ They tied (y feet to'ether &ith strin's, and attached the( to a hook on the roof of the interro'ation roo(+ The strin's in/ured (y feet and ankles+ They then $urnt dried red chilli on a rusty (etal $asin placed on the floor a$out three feet fro( (y face+ 5 thou'ht 5 &as suffocatin'+ The irritation of (y eyes &as %ery $ad+ 5 could not $reathe+ -n the third ti(e 5 'a%e in and told the( that 5 had $een in the LTT7+#

Witness 2G, @ale: A soldier called (e into his roo(+ 2e looked like he &as an officer+ 2e (ust ha%e $een 0uite hi'h-le%el as he had stars on his shoulder+ 5 canAt re(e($er ho& (any+ 2e also had a yello& cord han'in' fro( his shoulder+ 2e had a different unifor( - the pockets and $ad'es &ere different+ 2is unifor( &as s(arter+ 2is roo( had a ta$le and a cushioned chair+ There &as the Sri Lankan fla' on the ta$le+ B Witness HG, >e(ale: 2e used one hand to s0ueeIe (y neck &hile 5 &as standin' and then he reached do&n &ith his other hand and s0ueeIed (y penis and testicles+ 2e told (e Byou are a Ta(il do' and should not ha%e any future 'enerationsD+ 2e s0ueeIed hard and it caused (e terri$le pain+ 2e told (e to hold his penis+ When 5 refused he slapped (e and told (e BTa(il do' you &ill $e dead if you do not hold itD+ 5n fear 5 held it+ J -n one occasion one of the ar(y 'uards ca(e in and urinated on (e+ While doin' so he told (e, Byou Ta(ils need a separate state+ 5f you &ant a separate state you &ill ha%e to take a $ath in our urine+D