36 Tamil Victims Of European Countries Underwent Torture, Detention Under Yahapalanya
November 15, 2016
Testimony from 36 Tamil victims in three European countries, who have suffered abduction, illegal detention, torture and/or sexual violence at the hands of intelligence and security officers under the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government, it has been revealed.
File photo| Sri Lankan Tamil Torture Victim – Photo by Uvindu Kurukulasuriya
In 10 of these cases the victims have already been granted asylum, meaning their cases have already been found credible by foreign governments.
This confirms that secret torture sites still operating in Sri Lanka, the International Truth and Justice Projectsaid.
They also called upon the UN Committee Against Torture to visit Sri Lanka to conduct an independent investigation into the continued “white van” abductions, torture and sexual violence committed by the Sri Lankan security forces. The committee meets in Geneva this week to examine torture in Sri Lanka.
“Intelligence and security operatives continue to target Tamils for illegal detention in secret sites and inflict on them horrific torture and sexual violence with impunity, despite the change of government in January 2015,” said the executive director of the International Truth and Justice Project, Yasmin Sooka. “Torture and abduction are so systematic and entrenched in the DNA of the security forces that even a realignment of political parties in parliament and the new government under President Sirisena are not able to stop these crimes. It requires political will and a commitment on the part of the Government of Sri Lanka to carry out a comprehensive security sector reform programme which is sadly missing in Sri Lanka.”
The ITJP has collected testimony from 36 Tamil victims in three European countries, who have suffered abduction, illegal detention, torture and/or sexual violence at the hands of intelligence and security officers under the Sirisena government. Overall ITJP has more than two hundred statements from Sri Lankan victims of alleged war crimes and post-war torture and sexual violence who have fled the country. The orgnisation has also begun to identify some alleged perpetrators. “I want the outside world to know that torture is still happening in Sri Lanka and the torture that I suffered,” said a young Tamil woman abducted in a “white van” and gang raped this year in illegal detention in the north of Sri Lanka. “I was tortured and I want people to know what happened to me and to ensure that nothing like this will happen to anyone else again,” said a young male victim, “I have nightmares most of the time where I fear that they will come with guns to kill me. The day I attempted suicide I had been having these nightmares”.
