On April 17, 2007, an email was sent to NGOs and United Nations agencies working in the Trincomalee district (eastern Sri Lanka) by a group claiming to be the Intelligence Unit of the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal Party (TMVP), the political party headed by Colonel Karuna and a breakaway group of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In this email, NGOs were required to fill in a registration form and submit it before April 30, 2007. They were notably asked to “stop [their] bad behaviours” and to join LTTE as this would “create peace full country”. Besides, the email warned that for those failing to register TMVP would “not [be] responsible for [their] security in North and East”.
Three days later, on April 20, 2007, another threatening message was sent to the humanitarian NGOs that are members of the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA) as well as to UN workers in eastern Sri Lanka. The authors of this email said that they were “following CHA very closely” and that they “would take necessary steps to eliminate them if needed”. They added that they would guarantee “full security to who ever co-operate - if not face the consequences after the deadline”.
Subsequently, the TMVP denied having sent these emails.
The Observatory expresses its deep concern at these threats, especially as they take place in a context of increased threats against humanitarian workers, defenders working for peace and journalists, in particular in the northern and eastern provinces, in particular since the intensification of the conflict in July 2006. The Observatory recalls that, in this context, the Sri Lankan government has imposed an unofficial embargo on humanitarian aid in the zones controlled by the LTTE and that various restrictions were put on humanitarian workers, regarding, in particular, their registration process. These restrictions and the attacks on humanitarian workers have led several organisations to suspend their humanitarian activities[1].
As a consequence, the Observatory calls upon the Sri Lankan authorities to guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of all human rights defenders, including humanitarian workers, as well as to end all forms of harassment of human rights defenders and guarantee in all circumstances that they are able to carry out their work without any hindrance. The Observatory also urges the LTTE to conform n any circumstances with the provisions of international humanitarian law.
More generally, the Observatory urges the authorities to conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 9 December 1998, especially its article 12.2, which provides that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration”, and to ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by Sri Lanka.
For further information, please contact :
OMCT : Delphine Reculeau : + 41 22 809 49 39
FIDH : Gael Grilhot: +33 1 43 55 25 18
[1] See Observatory Annual Report 2006.