Sri Lanka president receives US court summons

[eppur_se_muova]

Source: BBC

Sri Lanka's justice ministry has received a summons issued by a US federal court for President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The summons is linked to three civil cases filed under the Hague Convention by relatives of Tamil victims of alleged extra-judicial killings.

The alleged killings took place during the Sri Lankan civil war.

The petitioners are claiming financial damages under the US Torture Victims Protection Act.



Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13826803

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Uh, wait, what? We're charging the President of another country with acts of torture committed during wartime? Couldn't we find a case a little closer to home, if you get my drift?

Darn those troublemakin' liberal activist legislators for laying this time bomb: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torture_Victim_Protection_Act_of_1991

[Fumesucker]

1. Evidently "looking backward" is only copacetic when it is done to other countries..

[shireen]

2. that bastard should rot in hell

along with the leaders of the Tamil Tigers. Both sides of that civil war killed thousands of innocent civilians.

For background on the war most of us didn't know about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz_eCLcp1Mc (warning, graphic documentary, very disturbing video and images)

[Vehl]

5. +1 nt

[Ash_F]

3. Yes extra-judicial killings are wrong. I hope Americans realize that someday.

nt

[Vehl]

4. A welcome move. about 40000 civilians were killed in a few weeks alone, by the SL military offensive

The actual total over the conflict goes into hundreds of thousands..a huge % given that the ethnic Tamils of lanka only make up about 2-3million in number.

Here is a damning documentary made by the UK Channel 4 News about the Genocide perpetrated by the Lankan politicians/Military

Sri Lanka's Killing Fields by Channel 4
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x591914

I would highly recommend this video, especially for those who think that we should stay away from anything happening outside American borders cos they did not like the way Bush invaded countries. I'm against the Iraq war and other wars as well, but I'm definitely for international intervention in this issue. Are the interventions that stopped the Holocaust and the Bosnian genocide bad?
The Amnesty international, HRW and UN panels have concurred that unprecedented slaughter of civilians happened.

It's one thing to be against foreign intervention, but imho its criminal to stand by and watch when regimes slaughter civilians

"The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
Martin Luther King

[izquierdista]

6. Really? To a US court? Really?

There are things that can be done, but I would say that an American court would be the last place to pursue a remedy. The country has yet to recognize the International Criminal Court, it is conducting illegal military operations in half a dozen countries, the highest court owes fealty to the corporate dollar, and justice depends only on the size of the wallet. From this distance, diplomacy is a better option. As a first step, maybe the Americans could quit arming both sides of the conflict, as they are wont to do.

[Vehl]

9. umnnn why not?

I would rather that the international criminal court is used, however China has already said that it would Veto such a move. (Lanka has allowed China to build a naval base as a form of getting Chinese support, so this Chinese proclamation comes as no surprise!)

And pray tell what use is there for "diplomacy" when more than 40000 civilians were killed with impunity in a few weeks alone, even in the face of international pressure? In case you have not seen the documentary yet, pls do, It might change your mind. The Lankan defense minister(who is btw the brother of the president) has even gone on tv claiming that hospitals are legitimate targets.

Also, America did not arm both sides of the conflict...I dont know where you came up with this idea.
As I said before, its cool to have a knee-jerk reaction every time some head of state is accused of war crimes, but it would be better if people actually learn what is going on before taking a position.

[closeupready]

7. The Tamil separatists were terrorists.

War crimes should always be prosecuted, but there is a perspective on this.

[Vehl]

8. So? What has that got to do with this?

AFIK they were done away with. In case you took a few mins to read the article, and the HRW, AI, and UN reports you would know that this case, and the UN, UK calls for investigation for war crimes are based on the killing of civilians. More civilians were killed by the Lankan military in few weeks alone than civilians killed by the tigers in the 25 years of their existence put together....orders of magnitude more. The tigers are no more, while the lankan government still exists, run by the very same people who are accused (with a lot of evidence!) of conducting a genocidal campaign.

Are you justifying the actions of the Lankan Government? Genocide is genocide.
I would love to hear that "perspective"

[closeupready]

10. Thank God for ignore.

nt

[Posteritatis]

11. "We" aren't charging anyone, which the remainder of the article notes. (nt)