EU Shocked By Video
By Jamila Najmuddin
- HRW says allegations not against country but the government
Member states of the European Union (EU) were shocked by the contents of the video “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields” which was screened at the EU parliament last week.
The Sri Lankan government had last week raised strong objections to the airing of the video at the EU saying the contents are false and misleading.
However the South Asia Director for Human Rights Watch Meenakshi Ganguly told The Sunday Leader that it was important to ensure that diplomats are informed about the reality of what happened during the war. The screening of the video at the EU was organized by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and a few members of the EU parliament.
“We, together with other human rights groups, organized screenings and talks in a number of cities. The audience was left shocked by the brutality that was documented. We have worked for a long time on Sri Lanka. When we documented abuses by the LTTE, whether it was forced recruitment, the use of children in combat, or the extortion from the expatriate Tamil community, the Sri Lankan government acknowledged our findings to be fair. Unfortunately, that changed during the military campaign, when we found excesses by government forces,” Ganguly said.
She said that the documentary, produced by Channel 4 television in Britain, together with the report of the panel of experts appointed by the UN Secretary General, provides rather a strong and indisputable account of the violations.
“Contrary to what the Rajapaksa administration might suggest, efforts to address human rights violations are not directed at criticizing a nation, but a government that might be responsible for great wrong doing. The violations that occurred during the military campaign will impact on the future of the Sri Lankan people, who have already suffered years of violence and a divided community. For effective reconciliation, there has to be accountability,” Ganguly added.
