Published On:Sunday, March 3, 2013
Posted by Anoop Sharma
Sri Lankan Army Raped And Tortured Suspects Rebels
In an investigation some unbelievable truths came
out that Sri Lankan security forces have committed crimes of sexual violence
against ethnic Tamil in state custody. The study focused on cases of alleged
rape of men, women and also minors in between 2006 and 2012 because of their
suspected links to Tamil tiger rebels.
It documents 75 accounts of aver
sexual abuse and mental and physical torture, saying most of them are backed by
medical evidence. Sri Lanka's government has ignored the report as
"rubbish" and "lies".
It’s around 100,000 people died
or murdered during the 26-year long war between Sri Lankan forces and
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The Tamil Tigers were defeated in
2009.
The report arrived
during a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, which is
expected to discuss a resolution critical of Sri Lanka's human rights record
and the army's conduct during the last phase of the war.
Human Rights Watch
(HRW) said sex crime committed Sri Lankan security forces itself following a
ceasefire breakdown in 2006. Most of abuses and torture were motivated by
government.
According to the
report, it contents 75 cases of alleged rape, harassment or torture of 31 men,
41 women and 3 boys aged under 18, these all were arrested for suspicion links
to LTTE. Out of these a women said she was raped just over a year ago in the
Colombo office of the Criminal Investigation Department. In another case, a
former rebel who surrendered in 2009 said a metal rod balls inserted inside his
penis which was surgically removed when he escaped from Sri Lanka. A third man
said he was raped many times beaten and harassed when he was 17 year old by
military.
Spokesman Keheliya
Rambukwella of government dismissed all the charges of report as lies.
According to him “If they are making allegation they should give us medical
evidence so we see if we’ve investigated. The allegations are beyond any
criminal activity, used to tarnish the image of the country, it is full lies.
And there is no truth in that report.”
HRW conducted the
interviews over a period of 1 year with former detainees in different
countries. Because of the government restrictions the research was carried out
secretly.
Based on the witness
statements, members of Sri Lankan army, police and pro-government Tamil
paramilitary groups are behind all this sex crime.
Report has asked on
the Sri Lankan government to investigate and prosecute those responsible,
including military, police and other members of government itself.
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