The Geneva Director of Human Rights Watch urged on the Core Group of countries at the United Nations Human Rights Council to lead the call for an international justice mechanism on Sri Lanka “instead of placing faith in empty government promises”.

The director of Vavuniya-based Thinapuyal newspaper, Sakthivelpillai Prakash and his wife alongside another editor, were summoned by Sri Lanka’s Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) on Monday, following the paper’s coverage of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The latest incident of journalist intimidation comes as the 43rd session of the Council is currently underway, where Sri Lanka has withdrawn co-sponsorship of a resolution on accountability and the UN human rights chief has urged member states to “explore all possible avenues” for justice.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has granted a request to dismiss a case against the current Sri Lankan president and accused war criminal Gotabaya Rajapaksa without prejudice, leaving room in the future for potential legal action, once he leaves office.

A collective of Tamil artists from the diaspora and across the North-East teamed up to celebrate the beauty of the Tamil homeland earlier this year, in a music video that has racked up thousands of views so far.

‘Zha Mann’ or ‘Our Soil’ is a track made by UK-based Tamil artist Santhors, singer S Ravi, rappers C V Laksh and Baveena and a collaboration of Parai drummers, and has over 20,000 hits and counting.

Tamil Guardian caught up with some of the artists involved in the project, to speak about the song, the Tamil music industry and about the Tamil homeland.

Families of Keppapulavu in Mullaitivu rallied on Sunday marking 3 years since they started protesting for the release of their land from Sri Lankan military occupation.

The protests gained attention when they began in 2017, with families camping outside the occupying air force camp, leading to the release of some sections of the villages.

Phil Miller was a student in university when he first heard the name ‘Keenie Meenie Services’. 

“It was about 2010, 2011,” he told the Tamil Guardian in London. “I was involved in visiting asylum seekers in immigration detention centres.” Miller had spoken to Tamils who fled Sri Lanka, but faced an uphill battle in the United Kingdom, where British authorities were still attempting to deport them. “The Home Office was saying it was safe to send Tamils back,” says Miller. “And after the first few deportations, reports emerged that Tamils were being arrested upon arrival and tortured.” 

“So that got me thinking - why is the UK government sending people to be tortured when supposedly we are a country that respects human rights and opposes torture?” From conversations that Miller had with activists and asylum seekers themselves, the name ‘Keenie Meenie Services’ or KMS began to crop up.

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa issued an Extraordinary Gazette to confirm that the Sri Lankan parliament will be dissolved midnight today (March 2).

Rajapaksa, who obtained the constitutional power to dissolve the parliament from midnight on Sunday when the minimum term of four-and-a-half years had been reached, said the general election will be held on April 25, 2020, as he seeks to secure a stronger majority to allow him to push for constitutional changes to increase his presidential power and influence.

Amnesty International has called on the UN Human Rights Council to establish an “international accountability mechanism to ensure the victims of decades-long conflict get the justice that is owed to them” after the Sri Lankan government's decision to withdraw its co-sponsorship on a UN resolution on accountability.

“Sri Lanka’s decision to go back on its commitments to the Human Rights Council requires a robust response by the Council, including steps towards the creation of an accountability mechanism to ensure the victims of the nearly three-decade long conflict get the justice that is owed to them,” said Thyagi Ruwanpathirana, South Asia Researcher at Amnesty International.

The leader of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) told the United Nations Human Rights Council that with Sri Lanka having withdrawn from co-sponsorship of a resolution on accountability, that it was time for the gobal body to call for Sri Lanka to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) or call for the setting up of an ad hoc international tribunal.

Tamil families of the disappeared continued their protests in Mannar last week, with a rally calling on the United Nations to ensure justice was delivered and the fate of their loved ones is determined.

The rally, which took place last week, marched from the Mannar District Secretariat and ended near the Sathosa ground, where a mass grave was uncovered in 2018.