[TamilNet, Friday, 03 December 2010, 04:01 GMT]
"This is a very disturbing video and clearly, on the face of it, shows war crimes have been committed and perhaps crimes against humanity, depending on who the group targeted was," said Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association (IBA), after reviewing the execution video broadcast by Channel-4, and added ""[t]here is no question that this video is prima facie evidence that these crimes were committed. And therefore there's a responsibility on the part of the international community to push for an investigation and prosecution."
Ellis further said: "International law is very clear. This does not stop with the soldier. It must move up through command - so cases can be made at the individuals whose faces are shown but also possibly at their commanders if they are military forces."
"Ellis's characterization of Sri Lanka's crimes as possibly constituting crimes against humanity is indeed a welcome commentary, as Tamil people have long known the infliction of such systematic aggregious crimes by successive Sinhala Governments on Tamil people to subdue the Tamils to a second class status. It appears that finally, albeit with delay as is expected under the authoritarian rule in Sri Lanka, clear and convincing evidence of grievous crimes committed in violation of international law are surfacing," said spokesperson for Tamils Against Genocide (TAG), a US-based activist group.
"This is a very disturbing video and clearly, on the face of it, shows war crimes have been committed and perhaps crimes against humanity, depending on who the group targeted was," said Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association (IBA), after reviewing the execution video broadcast by Channel-4, and added ""[t]here is no question that this video is prima facie evidence that these crimes were committed. And therefore there's a responsibility on the part of the international community to push for an investigation and prosecution."Ellis further said: "International law is very clear. This does not stop with the soldier. It must move up through command - so cases can be made at the individuals whose faces are shown but also possibly at their commanders if they are military forces."
"Ellis's characterization of Sri Lanka's crimes as possibly constituting crimes against humanity is indeed a welcome commentary, as Tamil people have long known the infliction of such systematic aggregious crimes by successive Sinhala Governments on Tamil people to subdue the Tamils to a second class status. It appears that finally, albeit with delay as is expected under the authoritarian rule in Sri Lanka, clear and convincing evidence of grievous crimes committed in violation of international law are surfacing," said spokesperson for Tamils Against Genocide (TAG), a US-based activist group.
