“Pardoning one of the sole convicted perpetrators of atrocities committed during the Sri Lankan conflict further undermines the limited progress the country has made towards ending impunity for mass human rights abuse,” the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said today.
Mass Murder Convict Staff Sergeant Sunil Ratnayake
Issuing a statement on release of former staff sergeant R.M. Sunil Ratnayake on a special presidential pardon the OHCHR said: “We are troubled by reports that the convicted perpetrator of the Mirusuvil massacre, in Sri Lanka, has received a Presidential Pardon and was released from jail this week.”
“Former Army sergeant Sunil Ratnayake was sentenced in 2015 for the murder in 2000 of eight civilians, including a five-year-old child, after more than a decade long trial. Five defendants were brought to trial but only Sgt Ratnayake was convicted. The conviction was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in May 2019.
“This was one of the rare human rights cases from the decades long conflict that had ever reached conviction.
“The Presidential pardon is an affront to victims and yet another example of the failure of Sri Lanka to fulfil its international human rights obligations to provide meaningful accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and other gross violations of human rights. Victims of such violations and crimes have the right to a remedy. This includes equal and effective access to justice and reparation, and that perpetrators serve a punishment that is proportionate to the seriousness of their conduct.
“Pardoning one of the sole convicted perpetrators of atrocities committed during the Sri Lankan conflict further undermines the limited progress the country has made towards ending impunity for mass human rights abuse.”
Upali / March 28, 2020
I don’t think that UN should bother about this. We shout out and tell the world that we are a Sinhala Buddhist country and Buddhism will take over from now onwards. In Buddhism there is punishment prescribed for offences under Karmapala Vipaka that will chase them and punish the perpetrators and those who aided and abetted during this next and several births to come like the cart that follows the Bullocks.
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Mallaiyuran / March 28, 2020
Good one!
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Thappu / March 28, 2020
Upali, Let me look at your comment. You say, ‘I don’t think that UN should bother about this’. Let me ask you a simple question. Do you have the capacity to ‘think’. Confirm that in the first place. When you do, I’ll have some pleasant things for you!
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Uthungan / March 28, 2020
Upali
In other words what your saying is that that the Buddhist “Karma Vipka” is like the fanciful 72 Virgins waiting in heaven for the perpetrators of the mass suicide bomb blasts on unsuspecting innocent civilians by Islamic terrorists isn’t it?
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Nilam Sappideen / March 29, 2020
As humans, we divide amongst us. This will go on forever until the end of time because of our human nature. Put aside our differences and put humanity first, help another and equality of Justice to all irrespective of color, creed, caste and religion.
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Navin / March 28, 2020
Then the Sinhala Buddhist nation must pay back all the charity we have been sponging off the world, and stop begging for more. Fair enough.
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KaluMalli / March 28, 2020
Get your head examined if you have one-to Upali
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Prathapar, Oslo / March 28, 2020
CT, you need to find better news/ analysis to present your readers rather than rehashing old rubbish!
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Otherwise you will fall in to the same category as these UN people supported by NGOs, who are not for real.
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Who cares about this woman’s hysteria about this false charge at a time the world is worried about deaths of millions from COVID 19?
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Can’t this woman see that following the allegation of killing two people a decade ago, from her luxurious living quarters in Geneva, financed by the world’s poor, can’t be justified at this time?
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Navin / March 28, 2020
The Rajapaksa’s and their devoted supporters, , NEVER fails to attack the messenger.
Every International official who has called for accountability has been demonized, insulted, and attacked. War criminals must be held responsible for their crimes, and if sentenced, should serve the entire period of time given. When the president of this country pardons such a evil man, found guilty of the gruesome murder of children, something is not right. The OHCHR can plainly see that.
Coronavirus has nothing to do with a war criminal and his sentence, and a highly suspect presidential pardon. This is the devil taking care of it’s own.
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Eagle Eye / March 28, 2020
Navin,
“When the president of this country pardons such a evil man, found guilty of the gruesome murder of children, something is not right.”
—
When President Mahinda Rajapakshe pardoned hundreds of LTTE cadres who slaughtered Native Sinhalayo for three decades ‘EVERYTHING WAS RIGHT’.
When President Gotabhaya Rajapakse pardoned a patriot who risked his life to join the Army to eliminate barbaric LTTE terrorists, ‘SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT’.
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Navin / March 28, 2020
Nothing is right in Sri Lanka, because the politicians are not right.
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Thappu / March 28, 2020
Eagle Eye, Yours is not even an eye for an eye argument. Was any of those LTTE cadres found guilty in a court of Sri Lankan justice. What a silly comparison.
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Lester / March 30, 2020
“War criminals must be held responsible for their crimes, and if sentenced, should serve the entire period of time given.”
I agree, the Tamil diaspora should be held liable for funding one of the world’s biggest terror organizations. Their foreign citizenship should be cancelled. Followed by jail time, fines, and deportation.
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Sandy / March 28, 2020
‘ Open your mouth…for the poor and needy, and him who has no Helper’.
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Anonymous / March 28, 2020
The Rajapaksas have demonstrated they will never change… they have betrayed the citizens of Sri Lanka by acting on their personal interests during a pandemic. No more chances they are incapable of changing their ways. Just take them to the International Criminal Court instead of wasting anymore time. Sri Lanka gave them a second chance and they fail us.
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Eagle Eye / March 28, 2020
Anonymous,
The International Community is shouting loudly that terrorism should be wiped out from the world. The Rajapakshe regime did exactly that. For eliminating LTTE terrorists who were boasting that they can never be defeated militarily and restoring peace, the International Community should have awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to President Rajapakshe but demonstrating hypocrisy prevailing in international politics, they started blaming him for committing war crimes.
Furthermore, the hypocrisy of International Community is exposed by been completely silent on the most heinous war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by those who launched the barbaric terrorist campaign.
Worst thing is the hypocrites in the International Community are asking the victims of the terrorist campaign to pay compensation to the party that carried out terrorist activities. What a funny world!!!
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Mallaiyuran / March 28, 2020
Hey Bald Eagle,
You and your bald head uncivilized Balangoda Veda Buddhist Ayatollahs are calling the King as Hitler. Then you want Nobel Peace Prize for him.
You want peace prize for genocide and terrorism? Otherwise why did you call him Hitler? If not so, Can you write here an advice for the barbaric rowdy Ayatollah who called him Hitler and wished for his birthday, something like this? “Man, if the people are calling someone Hitler, doesn’t advise them become a real Hitler and use the Rapist Army and kill the people. Instead, if one beat you on one cheek, show them the other one until they start to call Gandhi”.
Remember, even if you managed to get the Nobel Peace Prize by transferring all Chinese Bank’s Yuan to Norway’s Peace Prize committee, you still will end up in Hague to stand in the witness cage. Remember the story of Aung San Suu Kyi? I doubt your ability to escape from it while Aung San Suu Kyi couldn’t.
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Anonymous / March 28, 2020
Gotabaya has forced Sri Lanka into the International legal mechanisms now that he has proven our legal system is a failure. Now the Rajapaksas have paved the highway to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. This is what they wanted all along to serve their American masters. Gota wants to fast track all cases into the International arena.
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Mohamed the Atheist / March 28, 2020
The UN only blames poor countries. The UN never said anything against the Yanks when they tortured innocent people in Guantanamo Bay. The UN doesn’t care about human rights. If they did, they would blame every violator of human rights equally. The UN should shut up and mind their own business. When the UN charges the Yank (USA) government with war crimes for torturing people and for starting unprovoked wars and occupying countries to steal their resources, then we will take the UN seriously. For now, the UN is a complete joke.
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Dilshan / March 28, 2020
No point of issuing statements drag the ear criminal ₩President to.hague and hang him
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Mallaiyuran / March 28, 2020
OHCHR must have released the first OISL report (March 2015) which accused 42 criminals as war criminals. The amended September 15 report pardoned those criminals. Now the pardoned criminals are pardoning other criminals. OHCHR is issuing that it was a mistake of the War Criminal President that he pardoned one murderer who killed 8 people. Will OHCHR release a report accusing the UNHCR for releasing 42 War criminal who murdered 150,000 thousand? What Madame High Commissioner is thinking that her report is going to do? Last five years Tamils repeatedly kept asking not depend on the Lankawe’s war criminals’ signature on Resolution 30/1. Lankawe whole history is only tearing facts and resolution. That is what they did to India. That is what tried on China until it crashed their 50 computers, including King’s defense department’s one. Now that Resolution 30/1 is torn off. Lankawe has declared the resolution is no longer binding on them. Just the open market traders putting squeeze on the Lankawe Rupeal. Within the last five years, why could not UNHRC ask the international governments to bring sanction to have the resolution implemented? But Germany released the GPS to Lankawe while Lankawe kept cheating EU on all promises. Now, 12 years have passed in May 2009 Thero De Silva delivered false promises on the floor of UNHRC assembly that Lankawe will undertake the responsibility and accountability. I really in loss on understanding what she think her report will do in Lankawe. Lankawe will laugh that the dog is howling just because the moon is out on the sky. That is it.
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Udage Sumanadasa / March 28, 2020
A heinous crime was committed by killing those innocent civilians, including a 5 year old child. This was a crime committed not only against those individuals but against the all humanity. Still powerful Buddhist monks, who claim they were following the Dharma of Lord Buddha, who prohibited all sort of killings,were behind the campaign to get this barbaric man out of the jail in the name of “Sinhala” nation. What is Sinhala nation that do not understand the difference between the savagery, barbarity and humanity Where is the justice and fair play? No protecting gods of Lanka, including Upulone, had opened up their eyes? Where are they? CT, thank you for publishing this vital information.
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Lester / March 28, 2020
This lady is a disgrace. The President is allowed to pardon who he wants, by law. Even Trump pardoned several fraudsters. What about the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was chopped up in the Saudi embassy on the orders of Bin-Salman? Why is she so quiet?
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shankar / March 28, 2020
lester
“This lady is a disgrace.”
not as disgraceful as the soldiers who chopped up the hands and legs of civilians and skinned them alive,don’t you think?
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Lester / March 28, 2020
Those people were probably killed by the soldiers, but I don’t think they were chopped up. Chopping up is LTTE propaganda.
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shankar / March 29, 2020
lester
this is not the only incident of soldiers killing civilians.Why did the LTTE use propaganda for the other deaths?Only in this case we see hands and legs chopped up and skin peeled off.Releasing a man like this into the community is a danger.
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Thappu / March 28, 2020
Lester, Was it not our Courts that inquired and awarded the penalty. If the President is allowed to overrule that verdict, why waste time and money with our Courts and Judges. Just asking.
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Navin / March 28, 2020
Trump’s pardon was met with outrage and condemnation.
Trump is a blathering idiot, a morally and ethically corrupt man.
Do we want leaders like that? Let us focus on our own country and set it right.
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Snail pace / March 28, 2020
Keep Calm People, Justice will prevail. Once you are a murderer you are always a murderer whether the law says you are one or not whether it is Sunil Ratnayake or Gotabaya. They have blood on their hands and lots of it and nobody can wipe it off. You can escape a prison but you cannot escape your conscience. It will come to haunt them and their families and there is no escape from it. They can enjoy the privileges of gov today but all of this has a time frame and it is not eternal.Their hateful and murderous actions will come to haunt them and torture them even after this earthly life.
Why are we all surprised by Gota’s pardon of Sunil Ratnayake? Don’t they say “birds of a feather flock together”.
Why are we surprised by the timing of the release? Gota is a known coward he had to hide behind a global pandemic to do this horrendous release. He left the army and ran away from the war to America but came back to direct a war by hiding behind his brother’s shawl in an A/C room. War hero my foot???? The real heroes are the ones who fought the terrorists on the ground. Shame on you Gota. You are a bloody shame.
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Lester / March 28, 2020
LTTE chopped up people, hung them from lampposts, gave cyanide capsules to children, and put suicide belts around the waists of vulnerable women. LTTE supporters broke the leg of journalist DBS Jeyaraj in Canada, so you can see how brutal these people are. At the end, the LTTE hid behind 300K civilians to avoid surrendering. These civilians were caught in a crossfire; the idea was to pressure the IC to force the government to call a ceasefire, so that the LTTE could smuggle more weapons and recruit more child soldiers. With this kind of enemy, the government had to take a hard stand. The job had to be finished once and for all. That is why MR was elected and now, after Easter attacks, GR. There are no other capable people in the country.
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Pon Kulendiren / March 28, 2020
Gota was Secretary of defense when this massacre took place at Mirusuvil. The orders would have gone from him, He is saving the sergeant who carried out the order. I do not see why Gota is calling himself Buddhist
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Sandy / March 28, 2020
‘ Take no part in worthless deeds of evil and darkness;
Instead expose them’
( Holy Bible)
Blessings of The LORD on this lady and all on the side of Truth.
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Stan / March 28, 2020
One war criminal will always come to the defense of another war criminal. People who lend support and defend the actions of war criminals can be regarded as accomplices to the act.
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / March 29, 2020
Dear Editor
Should the Hon President pardon the TNA folly too for all the killings/blunders since 1970’s and still living off the Sri Lankan tax payers sitting in our parliment without being tried for their original crimes against the Tamils and then the Nation??
The question should be is the TNA allowed to squander the future of our nation without being brought to the books because JVP was allowed to do the same in the past?? (it is a historical fact by keeping the TNA in place the Tamil future is silenced/squanderd ???)
When we put JVP then the TNA on trail for all the treachery/treason against people of Sri Lanka since 1970 along with the foreign governments who trained and armed them we can talk about the armed forces who had to deal with the consequemces?? this is the only way to deliver justice to all Sri Lankans who lost their life in the hands of their children who were prostituted to and by foreign Nations for their geo political agendas a crime against Sri Lanka/humanity/ innocent Tamil and Sinhala people is it not??.
Then we look into the irregularities of the armed forces will be the correct order of investigations should it not??
We all Sri Lankans want justice for the crimes committed in our Nation??? Justice can not be selective but one for all and all for one??
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Adrian / March 30, 2020
All the OHCHR is doing is strengthening Gota’s popularity. There are hundreds if not thousands of LTTE killers walking the streets. They have been rehabilitated and have been given training in various skills. Training that is denied to most poor Sinhalese and Tamils, I might add. So why shouldn’t the President pardon a soldier?
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / March 30, 2020
ONCHR is not troubled by the Tamil Nadu training camps poisoning our children approved/connived/allowed by FP & TULF/ hate speeches/publications/asking the Tamil children to kill their opponents so they can ride on the misery of the Tamil people against their will with devastating consequences??
ONCHR is not troubled we have not tried the Indian Government for sponsoring terror in Sri Lanka/have not identified the camps/named the camps/people who trained them to date to the Hague??
ONCHR is not troubled the TNA is allowed to keep its name as a divisive party after all the blunders???…………unlike JVP has National policies applies to all the Citizens of Sri Lanka equally which is more acceptable to all of us???
Can ONCHR publish what do they really know about our history and all the Tamil terrorising Tamils in Jaffna since 1970? down south with JVP activity?
Time for ONCHR to stand up for human rights and let other Tamils tell them what has been missing in the equation is the Tamil voices who want to lead a normal life in Sri Lanka with their brothers and sisters who speaks a different language.
Can ONCHR remove the Indian high commission from Jaffna ?? Sri Lanka is for Sri Lankans and not for Indians and Chinese or any others to use as their playing field. China and India can use their own borders to settle their own issues whatever means we will not comment.
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