2009   2008   2007   2006   2005   2004   2003

Bindunuwewa: the familiar pattern of justice to Tamils

Following international outcry the government appointed a Commission of Inquiry and its report was completed in November 2001. It was never made public. At the same time that the commission was hearing evidence the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) of the Police proceeded with its own proceedings and indicted 41 suspects including 19 policemen. The hearing in the Colombo High Court convicted five of the accused including two police officers on July 2003 and passed death sentence on them.

The case went to the appeal court and on May 27, 2005, the Supreme Court acquitted all of five accused citing lack of evidence. The judgment spurred immediate outcry from human rights organizations. Asian Human Rights Organization and the Human Rights Watch in USA have both called for a new investigation into the massacre.

Brad Admas, Asia Director for Human Rights Watch said, “These acquittals show a shocking failure of the police and judicial system in Sri Lanka to find justice for the dead and injured from this horrific incident. As the victims were all Tamil, the government needs to move quickly to start fresh investigations and to prosecute the perpetrators, some of whom were police officers, or it will only further distance aggrieved Tamils.”

When the Colombo High Court initially announced the death sentences verdicts in 2003 human rights activists proclaimed their satisfaction that justice had been done. Although there was dissatisfaction that some high ranking officers had not been prosecuted, the judgment was welcomed as a rare victory against impunity for violations of human rights against Tamils.

This optimism was shattered on May 27th when all five were acquitted.

04 June 2005

Print this

Email this