Monthly Archives: October 2011

Misplaced Loyalties: ‘Pink Left’ Countries and Sri Lanka

“How long yet will the madness of despots be called justice, and the justice of the people barbarity or rebellion? How tenderly oppressors and how severely the oppressed are treated!” – Maximillien Robespierre
The informal discussion held in Geneva on the 21st of September regarding Canada’s proposal to debate the outcome of Sri Lanka’s ‘Lessons Learnt and […]

By Karthick RM | Published on October 4, 2011 at 2:28 am

Human Rights Groups want George Bush prosecuted for Torture

The New York-based Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the Canadian Centre for International Justice (CCIJ) lodged a detailed and lengthy indictment setting forth the case against former U.S. president George W. Bush with the Attorney General of Canada, urging him to
open a criminal investigation against Bush for his role in authorizing and overseeing his […]

By | Published on October 3, 2011 at 11:46 am

Rajapakse summons: Command responsibility and jurisdiction under Intl humanitarian law

‘As for the ways by which rulers over others may become implicated in their crimes, there are two. tolerance and protection….we must hold that a person who knows of a crime and is able and bound to forbid it and does not do so, himself commits a crime … the people or the king are […]

By Lakshman Indranath Keerthisinghe | Published on October 3, 2011 at 11:20 am

Scapegoating of a General

Indignation over Shavendra
There is indignation in Sri Lanka at the fate that has befallen General Shavendra Silva who has been served with summons in the United
States where he is representing his country as a diplomat in the United Nations. He is faced with both a case against him as a representative of the Sri Lankan […]

By Dr. Jehan Perera | Published on October 3, 2011 at 10:44 am

Chief Justice or husband must resign

“All the four Judges of the Court were on the bench. Wright… had been raised to this high place over the heads of many abler and learned men solely
on account of his unscrupulous servility. Allibone was a Papist, and owed his situation to that dispensing power, the legality of which was now in question. Holloway […]

By Uvindu Kurukulasuriya | Published on October 3, 2011 at 2:37 am

“MR PRESIDENT, “YOU’VE BEEN SERVED”

WASHINGTON DC, 1 OCTOBER 1330hrs: In a press release titled “Mr President You have been served, lawyers for the Plaintiffs in the Torture Victims Protection Act case against
Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse has said the world’s media may become part of a ground breaking legal action.
President Rajapakse is being accused of extrajudicial killings.
The Plaintiffs in […]

By Sonali Samarasinghe Wickrematunge | Published on October 1, 2011 at 4:17 pm

Lawyers request US Court to approve use of social media to serve summons on Rajapakse

WASHINGTON DC October 1,2011:The plaintiffs in the Torture Victims Protection case against Sri Lanka’s President Rajapakse today filed a motion with the United States District Court in Washington DC seeking authorization to serve summons by publication in a
newspaper or through electronic means as all conventional methods had been denied. The motion also addresses issues of personal […]

By Sonali Samarasinghe Wickrematunge | Published on October 1, 2011 at 3:59 pm

A Pyrrhic victory

The United States’ extra-judicial killing of United States citizen Anwar al-Awlaki off the battlefield and unengaged in active hostilities
against the United States was as lawless as was Russian President Vladimir Putin’s extra-judicial killing by poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in London, which was condemned by the United States. The al-Awlaki precedent will lie around like a […]

By Bruce Fein | Published on October 1, 2011 at 3:17 pm