London – 16 August 2022
Please sign the petition demanding Gotabaya Rajapaksa is sent to The Hague and the International Criminal Court:
https://www.petertatchellfoundation.org/srilanka
“This petition is focussed on a simple and achievable demand: that the former President of Sri Lanka should face trial at the International Criminal Court for the war crimes, torture and genocide he committed on his own Tamil people,” said Peter Tatchell, Director of the human rights organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was deposed earlier this year, is currently evading justice in Bangkok, Thailand. The former President is behind a long list of atrocities against Sri Lanka’s Tamil population during the civil war, including directing the armed forces to bomb “No Fire Zones” after asking all civilians to gather there for safety. The UN estimated that more than 70,000 people were killed in so-called “No Fire Zones”. Tamils today often refer to this episode as the Mullivaikkal massacre.
Furthermore, under his watch as Defence Secretary, surrendered members and fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – the movement fighting government forces during the civil war – were summarily executed, including those that surrendered under a white flag.
Even after the fighting, thousands of young Tamil men who were suspected LTTE fighters or supporters, as well as journalists, activists and others deemed political opponents, were abducted. Many have never been heard from again.
The International Truth and Justice Project claim Rajapaksa violated international humanitarian law and international criminal law and was responsible for overseeing “murder, execution, torture and inhuman treatment, rape and other forms of sexual violence, deprivation of liberty, severe bodily and mental harm, and starvation.”
Ravi Kumar, General Secretary of the British Tamils Forum, said: “We need to end this culture of impunity. Since he has lost his presidential immunity, we urgently call the international community to act now and send Gotabaya to Hague. Thailand should put him on a plane today.”
Pliny Soocoormanee, a Mauritian-born Tamil and Executive Officer at the Peter Tatchell Foundation, added: “This is not a Tamil-only issue. Today, we have a unique opportunity to bring a war criminal to trial. War crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide should never go unpunished, whether in Syria, Ukraine or Sri Lanka. While we cannot yet bring the perpetrators of the massacre of Bucha in Ukraine to justice, we can bring another war criminal, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to the International Crime Court. Send him to The Hague.”
“Help us get more signatures. Here’s what you can do: Tweet, Facebook and Instagram this message.
Time to uphold #HumanRights
Time for war criminals like Gotabaya Rajapaksa @GotabayaR , ex-president of #SriLanka, to face justice.
Time to SEND him to The Hague @IntlCrimCourt
SIGN the petition: https://www.PetertaTchellFoundation.org/srilanka/
#GotaToTheHague
@tamilsforum