Elaine Pearson
Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, thank you for inviting Human Rights Watch to testify at this timely and important hearing. Over the last two decades, my organization, Human Rights Watch, has documented human rights violations in Sri Lanka, especially violations committed by security forces and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE) during the conflict which ended in May 2009. Today I will talk about the lack of accountability for alleged war crimes, particularly in its final stages, and also about the current human rights situation in the country.
Alleged war crimes committed by LTTE and government forces
With regard to the final stages of the conflict, Human Rights Watch has interviewed hundreds of victims and witnesses to abuses, we have analyzed photographs, video, and satellite imagery.[1]We issued a report in February 2009, War on the Displaced: Sri Lankan Army and LTTE Abuses Against Civilians in the Vanni,[2]based on firsthand information gathered by our researchers. Since the war ended we continued to gather more information.
