In Retrospect: Death of a human rights defender

At around 2.30 am on the 25th of December 2005 , I received a text message from a friend of mine who worked for an international news agency. Since the beginning of “another phase” of extra-judicial killings, abductions and disappearances during Eelam War - IV, we, a substantial number of journalists and human rights activists had a network to share breaking news and info about political and military developments, particularly with a focus on human rights before the news or information was even published in any media. Considering the time that I received the message, even before I opened it, I realized that it would be very disturbing....

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Strengthening My Struggle

Strasbourg Declaration Today [10-12-2012] is International Human Rights Day. I am currently in Strasbourg, France, where the European parliament, Council of Europe, European Court of Human Rights and other important European institutions are based. My foremost purpose in this mission is to attend a “UNITED Study Session Against Racist Propaganda and Hate Speech online”. It is organized by UNITED Against Racism and hosted by the Council of Europe.  This is a special day in my life for more than one reason. I have an impression that my integration into the life of the European communities is being strengthened through engagement...

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November 28: Appalling attack and deafening silence

On the evening of the November 27 at 06:07 PM (local time), flames were lit in commemoration of Maaveerar Naal 2012 (Martyrs’ Day 2012). It was initiated by the Tamil students from the Jaffna University. Pre-deployed Sri Lankan troops forcibly entered into the Ladies’ Hostel and attacked the students and damaged properties, soon after they realized that the flames were lit inside the Ladies’ Hostel of the Jaffna University. The victims called the University administration to escape from the attack and seek safety. However, following the attack tensions prevailed. More troops and policemen were deployed to the university vicinity by the...

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Sri Lanka: Militarizing the land and terrorizing the minds

“Given that 75% of the army’s divisions are stationed in the Northern Province, in addition to other formations such as task forces and independent brigades and regimental units, it is not unreasonable to assume that at least 60% of the army, i e, approximately 1,80,000 personnel, are stationed across the Northern Province.” - Notes on the Military Presence in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province | Economic & Political Weekly, July 14, 2012 Nearly four decades of asymmetric war between the Sri Lankan state and the Tamil guerrillas ended in an unprecedented bloodbath, which was seen by some as "unacceptably high".  Regardless of the fact...

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Mu'l'livaaykkaal: The Slaughter Unheard and Unpunished

Listen to what they did. Don’t listen to what they said. What was written in blood has been set up in lead. Lead tears the heart. Lead tears the brain. What was written in blood has been set up in lead. The heart is a drum. The drum has a snare. The snare is in the blood. The blood is in the air. Listen to what they did. Listen to what’s to come. Listen to the blood. Listen to the drum. James Fenton ...

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In Memory of Marie Colvin

Photo via CBS News and courtesy AP Photo/Ivor Prickett Sunday Times “Journalists covering combat shoulder great responsibilities and face difficult choices. Sometimes they pay the ultimate price.” – Marie Colvin A few days ago, I was in a conversation with a fellow journalist and a human rights activist with regard to establishing an initiative in response to the unfolding developments in Sri Lanka. We discussed which journalists, experts and academics we could call to help us in our struggle. A name that immediately came up was Marie Colvin. While taking a reflective walk after the discussion, I decided to contact...

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"Love and Happiness: Inspirational Enlightenment for Life"

Photo credit: Sephi Bergerson  Happiness is the meaning of life. It generates from love. Love is more powerful than waves and more attractive than a magnet. Thousands of sufferings can be vanished by a single love.  Suffering and pain are tragic events of our lives and in most cases they cannot be avoided, as it is part of life. These events create connections and records in our mind. The mind allows the space for negative thinking and thoughts.    When love arises, pain and suffering vanishes, because these are related to the mind, and love is connected to the heart and soul. Love doesn’t question and...

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Silva’s Report, Role of International Community and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka

GV caption: Three terrorists, two terrorists, former terrorists, patriots or a hero? How one sees this image is  measure of how much Sri Lanka remains divided post-war. Image shows Secretary of Defense Gotabaya Rajapaksa speaking during the inaugural National Conference on Reconciliation in Colombo November 24 ,2011. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte, courtesy MSNBC. One of the most fundamental challenges of peacemaking and peacebuilding is confronting the past while building a just foundation for the future. Fighting impunity and pursuing peace are not incompatible objectives – they can work in tandem, even in an ongoing conflict...

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