Victims who survived one of Sri Lanka’s secret torture camps and escaped abroad have said that navy general Lt Commander Welegedara gave orders for their interrogations at Sri Lanka’s naval dockyard torture base.
A survivor who was detained and tortured in the base at Trincomalee at some point between 2009-2012, speaking to the International Truth and Justice Project: Sri Lanka (ITJP), said,
“Lt. Commander Welegedara was in charge of the secret cam when we were first brought there. He did not personally hurt me but each time I was interrogated they told me that he had ordered them to do so.”
Describing the torture cells and environment the survivor added,
“I saw blood and people’s names who had been scratched into the walls with a sharp instrument. I could also hear men crying and screaming. To me it sounded like they were being tortured.. I would hear the screams and crying every other day.”
The statements coincide with the findings of the UN Working Group on Enforced who just concluded a visit to Sri Lanka.
Any credible investigation into the Trincomalee will most likely have to include the key military figure Lt Commander Welegedara who is widely known to have run the secret detention operations in the Trincomalee naval dockyard.
The existence of secret torture camps in Sri Lanka has been long reported on by Tamil Civil Society and politicians in the North-East. Earlier this year Sri Lanka’s prime minister denied allegations of the existence of torture camps in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka 'will probe' UN working group findings (20 Nov 2015)
UN confirms existence of secret torture camps in Sri Lanka, calls on gov to reveal other possible locations (18 Nov 2015)
Sri Lanka continues 'multifaceted assault of terror' on Tamils under new government (28 Jul 2015)
Tamils still held in secret Sri Lankan military camps (31 Mar 2015)
A survivor who was detained and tortured in the base at Trincomalee at some point between 2009-2012, speaking to the International Truth and Justice Project: Sri Lanka (ITJP), said,
“Lt. Commander Welegedara was in charge of the secret cam when we were first brought there. He did not personally hurt me but each time I was interrogated they told me that he had ordered them to do so.”
Describing the torture cells and environment the survivor added,
“I saw blood and people’s names who had been scratched into the walls with a sharp instrument. I could also hear men crying and screaming. To me it sounded like they were being tortured.. I would hear the screams and crying every other day.”
The statements coincide with the findings of the UN Working Group on Enforced who just concluded a visit to Sri Lanka.
Any credible investigation into the Trincomalee will most likely have to include the key military figure Lt Commander Welegedara who is widely known to have run the secret detention operations in the Trincomalee naval dockyard.
The existence of secret torture camps in Sri Lanka has been long reported on by Tamil Civil Society and politicians in the North-East. Earlier this year Sri Lanka’s prime minister denied allegations of the existence of torture camps in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka 'will probe' UN working group findings (20 Nov 2015)
UN confirms existence of secret torture camps in Sri Lanka, calls on gov to reveal other possible locations (18 Nov 2015)
Sri Lanka continues 'multifaceted assault of terror' on Tamils under new government (28 Jul 2015)
Tamils still held in secret Sri Lankan military camps (31 Mar 2015)
