| Revision as of 16:48, 29 March 2007 editNetmonger (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers2,278 edits →Incident← Previous edit | Revision as of 13:55, 30 March 2007 edit undoKanatonian (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Rollbackers26,422 edits added note about MirjeNext edit → | ||
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| After public protest{{cref|Protest}} <ref name="HS"> {{cite web |url= http://www.humiliationstudies.org/documents/GaneshpanchanDomesticViolenceIDPS.pdf|title= Violence against women|date =2007-03-28 |format= |work=Humiliation Studies.org }}</ref>, her body was sent to Colombo for post-mortem by a senior JMO who indicated that the cause of death was {{Cquote|asphyxia due to gagging, her underpants had been stuffed inside her mouth and that forcible sexual intercourse had taken place}}. <ref name="AI"/> | After public protest{{cref|Protest}} <ref name="HS"> {{cite web |url= http://www.humiliationstudies.org/documents/GaneshpanchanDomesticViolenceIDPS.pdf|title= Violence against women|date =2007-03-28 |format= |work=Humiliation Studies.org }}</ref>, her body was sent to Colombo for post-mortem by a senior JMO who indicated that the cause of death was {{Cquote|asphyxia due to gagging, her underpants had been stuffed inside her mouth and that forcible sexual intercourse had taken place}}. <ref name="AI"/> | ||
| Her funeral was attended by a cross section of Sri Lankan activist from around the nation. ], then Member of Parliament, S.Sivadasan, the then ] Parliamentarian, ], Attorney-at-Law and the Secretary Of the Forum for Human Dignity and ] Of the Movement for Inter Racial, Justice and Equality delivered funeral orations <ref> {{cite web |url= http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=4506 | Her funeral was attended by a cross section of Sri Lankan activist from around the nation. ], then Member of Parliament, S.Sivadasan, the then ] Parliamentarian, ], Attorney-at-Law and the Secretary Of the Forum for Human Dignity and ] Of the Movement for Inter Racial, Justice and Equality {{cref|MIRJE}}delivered funeral orations <ref> {{cite web |url= http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=4506 | ||
| |title= Sarathambal funeral held|date =2007-03-27 |format= |work=Tamilnet.com}}</ref> | |title= Sarathambal funeral held|date =2007-03-27 |format= |work=Tamilnet.com}}</ref> | ||
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| *{{cnote|Protest|More than 500 villages staged a demonstration outside the navy camp in northern Sri Lanka to protest the rape and murder of Sarathambal |
*{{cnote|Protest|More than 500 villages staged a demonstration outside the navy camp in northern Sri Lanka to protest the rape and murder of Sarathambal. The protestors carried placards accusing members of the armed forces for carrying out the brutal crime they also told reportersWe organised this demonstration not just to register our protest against the raping and murder, but this has become a matter for self, respect, not only for women, but also for men. That’s why we staged this demonstration carrying dry palmyrah leaves. We wanted to show the world the undignified manner in which the human beings in these areas are treated-human beings are treated not worth more than a dry palmyrah leaf”. They went on to explain that there had been previously many unreported cases of harassment and sexual violence by security forces. According to the village people, whenever women and girls passed through a military barrier or checkpoint they were subjected to various kinds of dirty antics by the army forces.<ref name="HS"/>}} | ||
| *{{cnote|MIRJE| Movement for Inter-Racial Justice & Equality was founded in Sri Lanka in ]. It was the first major majority ] based group calling for ethnic equality. It is currently almost defunct, but is a precursor of all other organizations and groups that have mushroomed in recent years calling for peace and ethnic equality from the People's Peace Front to Sri Lanka First. | |||
| ⚫ | *{{cnote|CIUAH|The government appointed a |
||
| ⚫ | *{{cnote|CIUAH|The government appointed a Committee of Inquiry into Undue Arrest and Harassment (CIUAH) in mid-December ]. The nine-member Committee was lead by the then cabinet minister Lakshman Jayakody and included the then Justice minister Batty Weerakoon and other ministers such as GL Peiris, SB Dissanayake, ] and ]. The Committee was set up to receive complaints on illegal detention under the ] (PTA) and Emergency regulations, delay in cases, harassment by security forces during and after arrest, non-issue of arrest receipts, police registration, holding relatives as hostages and problems faced by people from north-east Sri Lanka.}} | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 13:55, 30 March 2007
| Sarathambal | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Housewife and mother |
| Parent | Chandrasekara Sarma |
Sarathambal or Sarathambal Saravanbavananthatkurukal was a minority Sri Lankan Tamil woman who was gang raped and killed on 28 December 1999 and became an internationally known incident of the Sri Lankan civil war.
Incident
According to AHRC report on 28 December 1999, Mrs.Sarathambal Saravanbavananthakurukal, 29, daughter of a local Hindu temple priest was forcibly dragged out from her home, in Pungudutivu, near Jaffna Peninsula, allegedly by Sri Lankan Navy soldiers.
Her house was situated at about 500m from a navy camp. Her father and brother were tied up allegedly by four security officers dressed in black. Her dead body was found on barren land about 100m away from their home the next day.
After public protest , her body was sent to Colombo for post-mortem by a senior JMO who indicated that the cause of death was
asphyxia due to gagging, her underpants had been stuffed inside her mouth and that forcible sexual intercourse had taken place
.
Her funeral was attended by a cross section of Sri Lankan activist from around the nation. Vasudeva Nanayakara, then Member of Parliament, S.Sivadasan, the then EPDP Parliamentarian, Maheswary Velautham, Attorney-at-Law and the Secretary Of the Forum for Human Dignity and Nimalka Fernando Of the Movement for Inter Racial, Justice and Equality delivered funeral orations
Government investigation
The government under president Chandrika Kumaratunga ordered an immediate investigation but In mid-March 2000, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women Radhika Coomaraswamy, who is herself Sri Lankan, emphasized the lack of government response to allegations of sexual violence by security personnel in Sri Lanka.
She noted too, that, despite a presidential directive, little effort had been made to investigate the December 1999 gang-rape and murder by naval personnel of twenty-nine-year-old Sarathambal Saravanbavananthatkurukal near Jaffna.
Victims father and brother were allegedly threatened not to reveal the identity of the four men who came to the house. According to the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, who had been instructed by the President of Sri Lanka to investigate the rape and murder, the brother had "not been able to identify any of the four persons who came to the house".
It is alleged by witnesses that the soldiers who raped Sarathambal have been transferred from the area to prevent action being taken against them.
The Attorney General’s Department informed the Committee of Inquiry into Undue Arrest and Harassment (CIUAH). in late May of 2001 that there will be no prosecution relating to the Sarathambal rape and murder case, as the police report contained no evidence on the offenders.
See also
Notes
- Protest: More than 500 villages staged a demonstration outside the navy camp in northern Sri Lanka to protest the rape and murder of Sarathambal. The protestors carried placards accusing members of the armed forces for carrying out the brutal crime they also told reportersWe organised this demonstration not just to register our protest against the raping and murder, but this has become a matter for self, respect, not only for women, but also for men. That’s why we staged this demonstration carrying dry palmyrah leaves. We wanted to show the world the undignified manner in which the human beings in these areas are treated-human beings are treated not worth more than a dry palmyrah leaf”. They went on to explain that there had been previously many unreported cases of harassment and sexual violence by security forces. According to the village people, whenever women and girls passed through a military barrier or checkpoint they were subjected to various kinds of dirty antics by the army forces.
- {{cnote|MIRJE| Movement for Inter-Racial Justice & Equality was founded in Sri Lanka in 1979. It was the first major majority Sinhalese based group calling for ethnic equality. It is currently almost defunct, but is a precursor of all other organizations and groups that have mushroomed in recent years calling for peace and ethnic equality from the People's Peace Front to Sri Lanka First.
- CIUAH: The government appointed a Committee of Inquiry into Undue Arrest and Harassment (CIUAH) in mid-December 2000. The nine-member Committee was lead by the then cabinet minister Lakshman Jayakody and included the then Justice minister Batty Weerakoon and other ministers such as GL Peiris, SB Dissanayake, Lakshman Kadirgamar and Douglas Devananda. The Committee was set up to receive complaints on illegal detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Emergency regulations, delay in cases, harassment by security forces during and after arrest, non-issue of arrest receipts, police registration, holding relatives as hostages and problems faced by people from north-east Sri Lanka.
References
- "UN press release on Sarathambal case". UNHCR.org. 2007-03-28.
- "Sarathambal murder". Sri Lanka Monitor.org. 2007-03-27.
- ^ "SRI LANKA: Rape in custody 2002". Amnesty.org. 2007-02-22.
- "UN report". HRI.ca. 2007-03-27.
- ^ "SRI LANKA: Systematic Detention,Torture, Rape and Murder as Weapon of War". AHRC.org. 2007-03-27.
- ^ "Violence against women" (PDF). Humiliation Studies.org. 2007-03-28.
- "Sarathambal funeral held". Tamilnet.com. 2007-03-27.
- "Sri Lanka country report 2000". HRW.org. 2007-03-27.
- "Sri Lanka monitort:May 2001". Sri Lanka monitor. 2007-03-28.
External links
- Carmelitta by Derechos net
- Amnesty International Report on Rape in Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka: gang-rape and killing of 29 year old mother by soldiers