Tamil nation remembers Mullivaikal massacre 5 years on, amidst military ban

http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=10954

Tamil Guardian 18 May 2014

Students at University of Jaffna commemorate Mullivaikkal massacre 5 years on, amidst death threats and military ban. Photograph @Uthayarasashali

In commemorative events across the North-East and the world, the Tamil nation marked 5 years since the massacre of tens of thousands at the end of the armed conflict on May 18th 2009.

Remembrance events took place in the North-East in amidst a military ban and overwhelming military presence across the Tamil areas.

Tamil media and political parties were targeted on the morning of May 18, as heavily armed troops surrounded the offices of Uthayan, Thinakkural newspapers, the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). 

Sri Lanka: Comply with Rights Council Investigation

http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/05/19/sri-lanka-comply-rights-council-investigation

No Justice for Abuses in 5 Years Since Conflict’s End

MAY 20, 2014

(New York) – The Sri Lankan government should comply with the March 2014 United Nations Human Rights Council resolution creating an international investigation into allegations of serious abuses by both sides during Sri Lanka’s civil war, Human Rights Watch said today. The resolution calls on the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate violations of the laws of war and serious human rights violations. The week of May 18 marks the fifth anniversary of the end of the conflict that resulted in the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

5 years on: The White Flag Incident (2009 — 2014)

http://white-flags.org/

This is the story of the killing or disappearance of several groups of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who surrendered to the Sri Lankan army on or about 18 May 2009 at the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war. They were told by the government if they carried a while flag they would be safe crossing the frontline. But when they surrendered it became apparent they had been lured into a trap.Several were executed in cold blood - others have never been seen since.

Police disrupts Mullivaykal memorial event at NPC office

http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=10921

Tamil Guardian 16 May 2014

An attempt to commemorate the Tamil genocide at the office of the Northern Provincial Council in Kaithady, Jaffna, was disrupted by Sri Lankan police.

NPC Councillors Ananthy Sasitharan and Shivajilingam made preparations to hold the rituals outside the office, as the gates were padlocked and police officers and officers from the Terrorism Investigation Department, were inside and outside the premises.

However when Shivajilingam lit the camphor against the outside wall of the premises, police officers stamped on the culturally significant flame, extinguishing it. They kicked and broke other utensils, while shouting in Sinhalese.

Amnesty's 'Stop Torture' campaign highlights continuing use of torture in Sri Lanka

http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=10908

Tamil Guardian 14 May 2014

Amnesty International's new campaign, 'Stop Torture', highlighted the extensive use of torture as a 'fact of life' across Asia, including in Sri Lanka.

Highlighting the use of torture in extracted confessions from detainees, the 'Stop Torture' report noted:

"Police forces in countries including China, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, at times torture individuals during interrogation and pre-trial detention, often forcing detainees to “confess” to a crime. Sometimes prisoners are even tortured to death.
 
In Sri Lanka – where the National Human Rights Commission registered 86 complaints of torture in the first three months of 2013 alone – prisoners have died after being brutally abused in custody."

See full report here.