{"id":43169,"date":"2015-09-21T02:22:42","date_gmt":"2015-09-21T06:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=43169"},"modified":"2015-09-21T02:34:52","modified_gmt":"2015-09-21T06:34:52","slug":"unoislreport-documents-killing-of-politicians-such-as-kadirgamar-fernandopulle-dassanayake-pararajasingham-maheswaran-and-raviraj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=43169","title":{"rendered":"UN(OISL)Report Documents Killing of Politicians Such as Kadirgamar, Fernandopulle, Dassanayake, Pararajasingham, Maheswaran and Raviraj"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Office of the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Investigation on Sri Lanka(OISL) report has documented a number of cases of targeted killings of politicians during the period designated under the UN probe terms of reference.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Among the cases highlighted are the killings of Lakshman Kadirgamar(Foreign minister), D.M. Dassanayake (Minister of Nation Building), Jeyaraj Fernandopulle (Minister of Highways and Road Development), Joseph Pararajasingham (TNA MP)Nadarajah Raviraj (TNA MP) and Thiyagarajah Maheswaran (UNP MP).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Noting that In most cases, the victims were Tamils. The OISL report goes on to sat that – \u201cOn the basis of the information obtained by the OISL, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the killings of politicians were committed in some cases by the LTTE, and in others by the security forces, sometimes in collusion with paramilitary groups (or vice-versa)\u201d.<\/p>\n

Relevant Excerpts from the OISL report Relating to the killing of Politicians are given below \u2013<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n


\nKillings of politicians<\/strong><\/p>\n

OISL has documented a number of cases of targeted killings of politicians during the reporting period. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), whose complaints mechanism receives cases relating to threats and killings of parliamentarians, has raised concerns over \u201cthe sheer number of cases received between September 2004 and August 2008 and the serious issues involved.\u201d In most cases, the victims were Tamils. On the basis of the information obtained by the OISL, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the killings of politicians were committed in some cases by the LTTE, and in others by the security forces, sometimes in collusion with paramilitary groups (or vice-versa). <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n\t\tForeign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar<\/strong><\/p>\n

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was one of the most high profile politicians to be killed. He was shot by a sniper at his residence in Colombo in August 2005. The perpetrator was never identified, although preliminary police investigations accused the LTTE of committing the murder. In March 2008, the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and five others were charged with the assassination . According to Government sources, several individuals have been arrested and indictments filed at the High Court in Colombo. The case was due to be heard again on 9 September 2015.
\n<\/p>\n

\tJoseph Pararajasingham,Tamil MP <\/strong><\/p>\n

On 24 December 2005, Joseph Pararajasingham, an MP for the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was shot dead while attending midnight mass at St Mary’s Church, Batticaloa. Eight other persons, including his wife, were injured in the attack. The church was located between military checkpoints, in a high-security area with a large presence of security forces. Pararajasingham was assigned police bodyguards by the Ministry of Defence, who were present with him at the time when he was killed but allegedly did not attempt to prevent the shooting or apprehend the killers. Just days before the attack, his usual bodyguards had been replaced. The victim was shot with nine bullets in the back and in the chest in front of a church full of worshippers and the Bishop from whom he had just received communion. Witnesses saw two perpetrators in civilian clothing with pistols. They shot and killed the victim while members of the congregation fell to the floor. They fired shot up into the roof to make way for their escape out into the yard where they proceeded to climb over a wall surrounding the church. There were numerous security guards, police officers and two police constables present during the incident. <\/p>\n

The assailants exited the church unchallenged,despite the fact that it was under police guard, and allegedly departed in a white van in the direction of a nearby army camp. Joseph Pararajasingham had declined to support Karuna after his split from the LTTE and had previously been threatened by members of the Karuna group. Family members of the victim suffered further threats after the attack and fled the country. <\/p>\n

OISL considers that, based on the information obtained, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Karuna Group killed Joseph Pararajasingham, and that it was aided and abetted by security and army personnel. Initial police investigations identified and detained two suspects from the armed forces. However, the suspects were released due to the lack of testimony from witnesses, despite the many eye-witnesses to the killing. The killing was one of the incidents which were to be investigated by the Udalagama Commission. The Commission stated in its report that Pararajasingham\u2019s murder was not investigated by the Commission due to \u2018non availability of witnesses and time constraints.\u2019 <\/p>\n

A separate Presidential Commission headed by Retired Judge of the High Court Mahanama Tilakaratne was appointed to look into the killing in April 2006. In its final report of March 2007, also unpublished but reviewed by OISL, the Commission concluded that it could be a political crime, and blamed the CID for investigations that were \u201cinadequate, and contrary to procedure established by law\u201d, partly because in the absence of evidence they had arrested two soldiers who were subsequently not identified at an identification parade. <\/p>\n

In July 2013, the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) conducted a mission to Sri Lanka to inquire about several cases of Sri Lankan politicians killed, including Joseph Pararajasingham; during their visit several authorities commented that there was no evidence to indicate that the Karuna Group was involved in the killing and thus no such line of investigation was being pursued. The IPU concluded in its mission report that it is \u201chighly improbable that the perpetrators in Mr. Pararajasingham\u2019s case could have escaped without the complicity of the security forces.\u201d <\/p>\n

Government sources informed OISL in August 2015 that CID officers had visited Batticaloa in December 2014 to conduct further investigations, and that investigations \u201chave been reactivated recently\u201d.<\/p>\n


\n\tNadarajah Raviraj, Human Rights Lawyer and Tamil MP <\/strong><\/p>\n

On 10 November 2006, Nadarajah Raviraj, a human rights lawyer and MP for the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), was shot dead on a main road in Colombo by an assailant on a motorbike. The attack took place near a Security Force base on a stretch of road between police checkpoints. <\/p>\n

Nadarajah Raviraj was widely known for his moderate views and critical statements of both the LTTE and the Government, particularly in the weeks leading up to his murder. Along with other parliamentarians he had set up the Civilian Monitoring Committee, which alleged the Government was responsible for abductions, enforced disappearances and unlawful killings. The day before he was killed, Raviraj and other TNA parliamentarians took part in a demonstration in front of the UN offices in Colombo to protest against the killing of Tamil civilians by the military in the East and the increasing abductions and extrajudicial killings. <\/p>\n

The Raviraj case was among the high profile killings within the mandate of the Udalagama Commission of Inquiry. However, the unreleased Commission material to which OISL has access shows that Raviraj\u2019s murder was not investigated by the Commission due to lack of time. The IPU has expressed deep concern that in relation to both the murders of Pararajasingham and Raviraj, no progress has been made in the investigations, \u201din which sources have from outset pointed to the possible involvement of paramilitary forces.\u201d <\/p>\n

Police investigations initially failed to produce any results and focussed exclusively on suspects belonging to the LTTE whom the authorities claimed could not be apprehended due to lack of access to the Vanni. According to Government sources, three Navy officers and a former police officer were arrested in connection with the killing in March 2015 and have been remanded in custody following further investigations by the CID. An arrest warrant has been issued against a fourth person believed to be outside Sri Lanka. The case is before the Colombo Magistrate\u2019s Court. Another suspect identified by CID was abducted by an unknown group of people in 2007 and his whereabouts remain unknown, according to the Government sources. <\/p>\n

\tThiyagarajah Maheswaran, Tamil MP<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thiyagarajah Maheswaran, a Tamil opposition MP of the UNP, was shot dead on 1 January 2008 while attending a religious ceremony with his family at a Hindu temple in Colombo. Before being killed, he had stated that he would reveal, in Parliament, EPDP and Government collusion in relation to killings in Jaffna. His security measures and the number of bodyguards assigned to him had been reduced considerably shortly before his death. <\/p>\n

On 27 August 2012, a former LTTE cadre was sentenced to death for the murder of Mr. Maheswaran by the High Court of Colombo. An appeal against the death sentence is pending and due to be heard in November 2015. The IPU Committee on Human Rights of Parliamentarians has noted that it is \u201ckeen to ascertain whether the verdict established the motive for the murder, in particular in light of earlier concerns that the crime may be related to Mr. Maheswaran\u2019s criticism of the Government\u201d and that there is a longstanding concern that the murder took place at \u201ca critical time in his political career against the backdrop of a sudden reduction of security protection.\u201d <\/p>\n


\n\tD.M. Dassanayake, Sinhalese MP and Minister of Nation-Building<\/strong><\/p>\n

D.M. Dassanayake, a Sinhalese MP and Minister of Nation-Building, was killed in a roadside claymore bomb attack on 8 January 2008 in Ja-ela. Three suspects said to be linked to the LTTE were arrested subsequently by police. Trials of LTTE cadres suspected of the murder are ongoing, one of whom was charged under the PTA and given a suspended sentence in November 2011, but it is not clear what the specific charge was. Two others have been indicted by the High Court of Negombo and are due to be heard in September 2015, according to Government sources. <\/p>\n


\n\t\tJeyaraj Fernandopulle, MP and Minister of Highways and Road Development<\/strong><\/p>\n

On 6 April 2008, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, a Tamil MP for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and Minister of Highways and Road Development, was killed in a suicide bomb attack at a marathon race in Weriveriya. Responsibility was allegedly attributed to the LTTE. OISL has not had access to details of investigations into the murder. Following TID and CID investigations, three suspects have been arrested, including a former police officer, according to Government sources. The case is due to be heard again on 23 November 2015 by the High Court of Gampaha, seven years after the killing. <\/p>\n

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The Office of the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Investigation on Sri Lanka(OISL) report has documented a number of cases of targeted killings of politicians during the period designated under the UN probe terms of reference. Among the cases highlighted are the killings of Lakshman Kadirgamar(Foreign minister), D.M. Dassanayake (Minister of Nation Building), Jeyaraj Fernandopulle …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘UN(OISL)Report Documents Killing of Politicians Such as Kadirgamar, Fernandopulle, Dassanayake, Pararajasingham, Maheswaran and Raviraj’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43169"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43169"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43170,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43169\/revisions\/43170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}