Tamil and human rights organizations demand Singapore’s Attorney-General’s Chambers investigate Gotabaya for international crimes

Tamil and human rights organizations from across the world, issued a joint letter urging Singapore’s Attorney-General's Chambers to investigate and prosecute Gotabaya Rajapaksa for his involvement in international crimes during the culmination of the Tamil Genocide in 2009. 

Rajapaksa - Sri Lanka’s former president, defence secretary and credibly accused war criminal - fled to Singapore after being ousted in Sri Lanka, following his government’s handling of the island’s economic crisis. The credibly accused war criminal is reportedly in Singapore on a Short Term Visit Pass. Rajapaksa submitted his resignation as Sri Lanka’s president via email, making him no longer protected under impunity. 

“Rajapaksa stands credibly accused of committing the world’s most serious crimes, and Singapore should not serve as a safe haven for individuals implicated in grave abuse,” reads the joint letter from the global coalition of Tamil and human rights organizations. 

During Rajapaksa’s tenure as Sri Lanka’s defence secretary, he oversaw the massacring of 70,000 to 169,796 Tamils in 2009, whereby the Sri Lankan state ordered Tamil civilians to go to government-designated “No Fire Zones” and subject them to merciless sustained shelling. 

During the culmination of the Tamil Genocide, “hospitals and makeshift hospitals were attacked at least 30 times”. 

“There is publicly available information that Rajapaksa ordered the execution of LTTE leaders and their family members upon surrender; directed the widespread and systematic bombing of hospitals; and repeatedly asserted that civilian persons and objects were legitimate targets. There are also reports that Rajapaksa may be responsible for commissioning attacks on journalists.”

Rajapaksa and other war criminals that formed the then government continue to face complete impunity amidst credible evidence of committing international crimes like genocide. 

The 17 Tamil and human rights organizations that signed the joint letter are:

1. People for Equality and Relief in Lanka

2. Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research

3. Australian Centre for International Justice

4. Center for Justice and Accountability

5. Centre de Protections des Droits du Peuple Tamoul 

6. Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America

7. Global Rights Compliance 

8. Human Rights Watch

9. International Commission of Jurists

10. International Human Rights Clinic, Harvard Law School 

11. REDRESS

12. Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice

13. Tamil Americans United PAC

14. Tamil Rights Group

15. Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam 

16. United States Tamil Action Group

17. World Thamil Organisation 

Read the joint letter in full here.