| 1:32:57 PM - Tue, Jul 26th 2022 |
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Call for the arrest of the former Sri Lankan president in Singapore
Human rights groups haveSLOTXOpetitioned the Singapore Attorney General for the arrest of former Sri Lankan president Kotabaya Rajapaksa.
On July 25, 2022, the AP reported that Human rights groups say filed a complaint with the Singapore Attorney General to request the arrest of former Sri Lankan President Kota Baya Rajapaksa on charges of war crimes during Sri Lanka's civil war. which ended in 2009, during which he served as Minister of Defense
Kotabaya Rajapaksa was ousted after the country's economy collapsed. He fled to Singapore earlier this month.
The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), an evidence-gathering organization run by a South African non-profit foundation, said ITJP lawyers had filed a motion requesting the immediate arrest of Kota Baya.
The petition claims that Gotabaya seriously violated the Geneva Conventions during the Civil War. And these are crimes that must be prosecuted within Singapore. under international jurisdiction
Sri Lanka's economic crisis has left 22 million people in the country facing shortages of essentials like medicine, fuel and food. Month-long protests have targeted political families such as the Rajapaksa, who have ruled the country for nearly two decades.
ITJP said The economic collapse caused the Sri Lankan government to fall. But the Sri Lanka crisis is linked to structural impunity for serious international crimes. which goes back more than three decades or so.
“This complaint is not just about corruption and mismanagement of the economy. but also responsible for atrocious crimes.”
The Sri Lankan civil war has claimed 100,000 lives, according to UN estimates. But the actual number is expected to be much higher. While the report from the United Nations expert panel stated that At least 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians were killed in the final month of fighting.
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