Preventing further suffering in Sri Lanka

100 days on from the conflict which blighted Sri Lanka for decades, William Hague has expressed serious concerns about the fate of the innocent civilians who are now residing in internment camps.

"Whilst we are glad that Sri Lanka is now free from the scourge of terrorism", he said, "we have repeatedly urged the Sri Lankan government to take all possible measures to prevent further suffering".

He called for UN and relief organisations to be given "full and unrestricted access to provide shelter, food, water, and medicine, and to oversee the screening process" – a call made all the more urgent by the onset of the monsoon season.

Hague also stressed the importance of the Sri Lankan government living up to its commitment to allow the people to return to their homes by the end of the year. "Their continued confinement in camps will simply sow the seeds of discontent and may lead to renewed conflict in years to come. This would be a disastrous setback for the country when peace has been so hard won."

Aegis calls on Government to adopt Parliament’s recommendations and completely close the ‘impunity gap’ for genocide suspects in UK

In a report released today, the Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on Human Rights says inconsistencies in the way the UK applies international law have created an “impunity gap” for perpetrators of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. It commends the Government's recent decision to amend to legislation to partially address the problem, but calls for it to close remaining loopholes in the law and to re-establish a specialist war crimes unit to investigate people in the UK who are suspected of such offences.

Under the law as it stands, no-one in the UK can be prosecuted for war crimes in internal armed conflicts, genocide or crimes against humanity committed before 2001. Even if people here are suspected of committing such offences since 2001, they can only be prosecuted if legally resident here, not merely if they are present in the country (for eg., visiting on a student or business visa).

The Aegis Trust worked with MPs and Lord Carlile QC, Lord Falconer QC and Baroness D’Souza to prepare amendments to the Coroners and Criminal Justice Bill which would have closed these loopholes. Tabled in the House of Lords, they triggered the Government’s decision last month to extend jurisdiction of UK courts to prosecute international crimes as far back as 1991.

As the Committee points out, however, this only takes jurisdiction back to the date on which Crimes Against Humanity became recognised as crimes in international law. It argues for jurisdiction on genocide and war crimes in internal armed conflicts to be extended back to the dates on which they were recognised in international law (e.g. 1948 for genocide).

The Committee also supports Aegis’ call for replacement of the ‘residence’ test with a simple ‘presence’ test, so that anyone present on UK soil could be subject to jurisdiction on international crimes, not only those who are legally resident. This is the test used by other common law countries such as Canada, the US, New Zealand, South Africa.

“The Aegis Trust is delighted that the Joint Committee on Human Rights has adopted all of our recommendations for strengthening UK law in this area,” says Aegis’ Head of Campaigns Nick Donovan, whose evidence is quoted in the Committee’s report. “We too commend the Government for the bold progress made last month, and call on it to finish the job by closing remaining legal loopholes which benefit suspected war criminals in the UK.”

In June Aegis published a report that brought together, for the first time, details of people entering the UK who are suspected of international crimes. The report – 'Suspected war criminals and genocidaires in the UK: Proposals to strengthen UK law' – examines 18 cases, including those of suspected genocidaires from Rwanda, alleged torturers from Zimbabwe, Iraq, Liberia and the Congo, and alleged war criminals from Afghanistan, Sudan, Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka. They include such people as a Lieutenant Colonel from KHAD, the Soviet-era Afghan government’s secret police; an alleged Tamil Tiger assassination hit squad driver, and a member of Sierra Leone’s ‘Mosquito’ rebel group, notorious for murder, rape, looting, burning, sexual slavery and forced amputations.

The Joint Committee’s report comes at a time when the workload of the UK Border Agency’s war crimes team is increasing. Several weeks ago, the Government revealed that in the first six months of 2009, recommendations of immigration status refusal following investigation were up four-fold on the preceding four years. Since 2004, there have been 421 cases where immigration action was recommended and 30 cases where the matter was referred was made to the police. How many of these people are currently at large in the UK is unclear.

Green Party: Statement on Sri Lanka

JEAN LAMBERT DEMANDS INQUIRY INTO HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AND CONDEMNS EU ARMS TRADING DURING SRI LANKA CONFLICT

Over the past three decades, and last few months in particular, hundreds of thousands of people in Sri Lanka have been caught up in fighting between the LTTE and government forces. The United Nations has reported that 6,500 civilians have been killed and 14,000 wounded in the fighting from January to the end of April this year. Over 200,000 Tamils have been forced to flee their homes and are currently living in temporary camps.

Innocent people have lost their lives and lost loved ones, been maimed or injured and have witnessed dreadful scenes of horror, violence and destruction. My deepest sympathies go to all those who have been affected by this devastating conflict that has blighted so many families and communities.

Around a quarter of a million Tamil people are now living in camps in Northern Sri Lanka and some are being detained by the army as the government claims it must still weed out suspected terrorists. It is unclear when those held will be released.

I support calls from the EU this week for an independent inquiry into the alleged human rights violations resulting from the conflict and, if found guilty, those responsible must be brought to justice.

Humanitarian agencies, including the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, must now be given full access to help the survivors as a matter of urgency.

I also urge the Sri Lankan government to allow national and international independent observers in to monitor the situation and prevent further ill-treatment of civilians, including torture and arbitrary detention. Other measures to protect those displaced must be put in place too, including a proper registration process, to safeguard against abuses such as enforced disappearances.

While the EU has condemned the actions of both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government, it has come to light that some states have profited from the conflict by arming the Sri Lankan authorities, in breach of the EU's code of conduct on arms exports. According to the EU's latest report on arms export licences, published in December, nine EU governments authorised arm sales licences to Sri Lanka to the value of €4.09 million in 2007, the same year that Colombo launched its final offensive against the Tamil rebels.

Despite serious concerns about the internal conflict, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the UK, France, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland have continued to arm the Sri Lankan government since the election of President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2005.

The scale of the trade has not been on the same level as other world powers, but given the risks to the Sri Lankan people, this trading was highly irresponsible and immoral. The EU needs to address this urgently and have a clear and binding policy on arms trading for its own moral integrity.

DfID response to ICRC announcement on aid access to Sri Lanka

In response to the ICRC announcement that it is unable to evacuate war wounded to safety or provide aid to the 50,000 civilians trapped in the conflict zone of Sri Lanka,

Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander, said:

"I am utterly appalled that the ICRC is no longer able to continue its operations in northern Sri Lanka.

"Since September last year, the ICRC has been the only humanitarian agency allowed to work in the conflict zone, and now even this lifeline has been denied to more than 50,000 people.

"Over the last four months alone, the ICRC has evacuated by ship over 14,000 sick and wounded people. Denying this life-saving evacuation and medical treatment is a fundamental violation of International Humanitarian Law.

"This deplorable situation rightly brings international condemnation of both parties to the conflict. There is simply no justification for allowing such needless suffering.

"The Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE must immediately guarantee safe access to the ICRC to restart their life-saving work."

Hague calls for immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka

William Hague said he is "deeply concerned" about the humanitarian crisis in northern Sri Lanka and has called for an immediate ceasefire between the Government and the LTTE (the Tamil Tigers).

He warned that innocent civilians have been trapped by the fighting, and stressed that both parties must act to prevent further suffering.

"We call for an immediate ceasefire on both sides to allow the civilians to leave the conflict area, to be monitored by international observers including the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross."

William called on the Sri Lankan Government to help alleviate the humanitarian situation by allowing aid to reach those who so need it and ensuring international humanitarian standards are fully respected in the camps for displaced people.

And he stressed, "The only way forward is a negotiated settlement that satisfies the concerns and legitimate aspirations of all Sri Lankans and preserves democracy in the country."

Major London protest to demand action over Tamil death toll

- Protests will converge on Hyde Park this Saturday to call for UK Government to intervene

A major protest will be taking place in London this Saturday 11 April, calling on the UK Government to exert its powers to help the Tamil citizens trapped and dying as a result of fighting in Sri Lanka.

Jean Lambert, the Green Party MEP for London, will be joining the protests on Saturday and speaking on the platform in Hyde Park. The European Parliament recently adopted a resolution on the situation in Sri Lanka calling for an immediate ceasefire by the Sri Lankan army and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Ealam (LTTE) in order to allow the civilian population to leave the combat zone.

Speaking after a meeting with the Thames Tamil Association earlier this year, Jean Lambert MEP said:

"An immediate ceasefire on both sides is imperative. The situation in Sri Lanka is deteriorating by the day. With a quarter of a million people now trapped, it is crucial that a humanitarian corridor is opened up, to let these people out and to let desperately needed help, in the form of medical care, food, and mobile phones, in.

"It's also time to let the rest of the world in. We have to ensure that international aid agencies are allowed safe access to the most vulnerable people, and can carry out their vital work without impediment.

"While it remains difficult to build up a clear picture of exactly what is happening inside the conflict zone, because of the restrictions on journalists, we must maintain the pressure from the outside, and ensure that bringing an end to the suffering of innocent civilians remains a priority in the UK, Europe, and across the world."

Sri Lanka: MEPs call for immediate ceasefire so civilians can leave combat zone

The European Parliament today adopted a resolution on the situation in Sri Lanka calling for an immediate ceasefire by the Sri Lankan army and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Ealam (LTTE) in order to allow the civilian population to leave the combat zone.

It is estimated that 170,000 civilians are trapped in the battle zone
between the Sri Lankan army and the forces of the LTTE without access to the most basic aid.

Jean Lambert, London Green Party MEP and Member of the Human Rights Sub-Committee in the European Parliament, said: "The Parliament has today sent a strong message to both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government that it condemns the attacks on civilians. MEPs are very concerned about reports of serious overcrowding and poor conditions in the
refugee camps and we have called on both sides to respect international humanitarian law.

"The civilian population urgently needs protection and assistance and humanitarian organisations must be granted full access to the area. We call on the Sri Lankan Government to cooperate with countries and aid organisations to evacuate those civilians in need of medical assistance or
who wish to leave, and provide aid and support to those who stay."

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