ID :
11497
Sat, 07/05/2008 - 09:53
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/11497
The shortlink copeid
HRW criticises UK govt for releasing Col Karuna
Dharam Shourie
New York, Jul 5 (PTI) A prominent human rights
watchdog has criticised the British government for allowing
Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan alias Colonel Karuna Amman, a
former Tamil Tigers leader, to return to Sri Lanka as a free
man.
45-year-old Karuna was released from a jail in London
last month after serving three months for entering Britain on
a forged visa and diplomatic passport.
In a statement, Human Rights Watch (HRW) described him
as "abusive former Tamil Tiger leader."
It also urged the Sri Lankan government to investigate
and prosecute him for alleged war crimes committed by him as
commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Karuna was the top commander of the LTTE in eastern
Sri Lanka, and the reputed number two in the organisation
until he left to form his own armed group in March 2004.
Because his group fought against LTTE in recent years, HRW
said, the Sri Lankan government did not prosecute him.
The rights watchdog said Tamil Tiger forces under
Karuna's command were directly involved in some of the worst
crimes of Sri Lanka's ongoing civil war, including torture,
summary execution, and use of children as soldiers.
"The British government had an alleged war criminal in
custody for six months and couldn't manage to file charges,"
said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
"This was a rare opportunity to hold a leader of the
Tamil Tigers accountable for horrific human rights abuses, and
the British government blew it."
Immigration authorities in the UK arrested Karuna on
November 2, 2007. After a criminal conviction, he served half
of a nine-month term for possessing illegal documents. Despite
assistance from NGOs and others, the government on May 9
announced that the Crown Prosecution Service found there was
insufficient evidence to convict Karuna for any criminal
offences in the UK, HRW said.
The British government, HRW noted, had frequently
raised concerns about Sri Lanka's deteriorating human rights
situation with Colombo and has long criticised the LTTE for
serious human rights abuses.
British law permits the prosecution of individuals for
serious violations of international law, including torture and
war crimes, committed abroad. In 2005, UK courts convicted a
former Afghan warlord, Faryadi Sarwar Zardad, for acts of
torture and hostage-taking in Afghanistan.
The HRW said in June 1990, some 400 to 600 police
officers who surrendered to the LTTE were bound, gagged, and
beaten. The Tamil Tigers, including forces under Karuna's
control, then executed the Sinhalese and Muslims among them.
"Karuna's escape from justice in the UK is a failure
for international justice," Adams said. "Now that Karuna is
back in Colombo, the spotlight is on the Sri Lanka government
to do the right thing or be deemed complicit in his crimes."
PTI
New York, Jul 5 (PTI) A prominent human rights
watchdog has criticised the British government for allowing
Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan alias Colonel Karuna Amman, a
former Tamil Tigers leader, to return to Sri Lanka as a free
man.
45-year-old Karuna was released from a jail in London
last month after serving three months for entering Britain on
a forged visa and diplomatic passport.
In a statement, Human Rights Watch (HRW) described him
as "abusive former Tamil Tiger leader."
It also urged the Sri Lankan government to investigate
and prosecute him for alleged war crimes committed by him as
commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Karuna was the top commander of the LTTE in eastern
Sri Lanka, and the reputed number two in the organisation
until he left to form his own armed group in March 2004.
Because his group fought against LTTE in recent years, HRW
said, the Sri Lankan government did not prosecute him.
The rights watchdog said Tamil Tiger forces under
Karuna's command were directly involved in some of the worst
crimes of Sri Lanka's ongoing civil war, including torture,
summary execution, and use of children as soldiers.
"The British government had an alleged war criminal in
custody for six months and couldn't manage to file charges,"
said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
"This was a rare opportunity to hold a leader of the
Tamil Tigers accountable for horrific human rights abuses, and
the British government blew it."
Immigration authorities in the UK arrested Karuna on
November 2, 2007. After a criminal conviction, he served half
of a nine-month term for possessing illegal documents. Despite
assistance from NGOs and others, the government on May 9
announced that the Crown Prosecution Service found there was
insufficient evidence to convict Karuna for any criminal
offences in the UK, HRW said.
The British government, HRW noted, had frequently
raised concerns about Sri Lanka's deteriorating human rights
situation with Colombo and has long criticised the LTTE for
serious human rights abuses.
British law permits the prosecution of individuals for
serious violations of international law, including torture and
war crimes, committed abroad. In 2005, UK courts convicted a
former Afghan warlord, Faryadi Sarwar Zardad, for acts of
torture and hostage-taking in Afghanistan.
The HRW said in June 1990, some 400 to 600 police
officers who surrendered to the LTTE were bound, gagged, and
beaten. The Tamil Tigers, including forces under Karuna's
control, then executed the Sinhalese and Muslims among them.
"Karuna's escape from justice in the UK is a failure
for international justice," Adams said. "Now that Karuna is
back in Colombo, the spotlight is on the Sri Lanka government
to do the right thing or be deemed complicit in his crimes."
PTI
