Criminal complaint filed against Rajapaksa in Singapore for 'war crimes'

A South Africabased rights group has submitted a criminal complaint to the Attorney General of Singapore requesting the arrest of former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for alleged war crimesLawyers from the International Truth and Justice Project ITJP submitted a 63page complaint that argues that Rajapaksa committed grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions during the civil war in 2009 when he was secretary of defence and that these are crimes subject to domestic prosecution in Singapore under universal jurisdictionThe legal complaint states that Gotabaya Rajapaksa committed violations of international humanitarian law and international criminal law during the civil war in Sri LankaAlso read Rights group seeks Rajapaksa arrest in SingaporeThese include murder execution torture and inhuman treatment rape and other forms of sexual violence deprivation of liberty severe bodily and mental harm and starvation ITJP said in a statementRajapaksa fled to Singapore vis Maldives in midJuly after months of mass protests calling for his resignation The unrest was triggered due to the economic collapse of the country Ranil Wickramasinghe has been elected as the new President of Sri LankaThe economic meltdown has seen the government collapse but the crisis in Sri Lanka is really linked to structural impunity for serious international crimes going back three decades or more said the ITJPs executive director Yasmin Sooka This complaint recognises that its not just about corruption and economic mismanagement but also accountability for mass atrocity crimesThe ITJP submission to the Attorney General calls for the arrest investigation and indictment of Gotabaya Rajapaksa It outlines the former Presidents role as a former military commander in 1989 in charge of a district where at least 700 people disappeared under his watch The document focuses mainly on his role as Sri Lankas secretary of defence during the end of the countrys civil war in 2009According to an ITJP detailed evidence is adduced to show that Rajapaksa issued direct orders by telephone to his former military buddies whom he appointed as Major Generals to command the offensive and watched the conduct of the battle live on surveillance and drone footage in headquartersThe rights group said that the dossier submitted by them contains accounts of repeated and deliberate strikes by the army on civilians sheltering in earthen bunkers killed while queuing for food or receiving first aid treatment in hellish conditions lying on the floor of makeshift clinicsIt details how the decision to expel aid workers from the war zone in September 2008 was Gotabaya Rajapaksas and designed to hide the extent of human suffering from the eyes of the world Even United Nations offices in the war zone were repeatedly hit by the Sri Lankan air force to encourage aid workers to flee and yet Gotabaya Rajapaksa himself boasted that the air force could pinpoint targets he said they surveilled targets and planned and reviewed every air strike ITJP saidAccording to the rights group Gotabaya Rajapaksas ministry was in charge of approving humanitarian deliveries to the war zone and although he sat in meetings with humanitarian agencies who repeatedly warned that the civilian population were in desperate need of lifesaving medicine and food he denied permission to send in suppliesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever