Yasmin Sooka releases torture, sexual violence, abduction report

The International Truth and Justice Project Sri Lanka (ITJP) organization functioning under global human rights expert Yasmin Sooka from South Africa, will this week release the report of its study titled 'An Unfinished War: Torture and Sexual Violence in Sri Lanka'. Also defined as "A Still Unfinished War: Sri Lanka's Survivors of Torture and Sexual Violence , 2009-2015" the study will focus on ongoing international violations, white van abductions in 2015 and reprisals.

The report has 180 cases of post-war torture and/or sexual violence in Sri Lanka, from among which ITJP has chronicled 115 statements from witnesses and survivors of which 100 are 'white van' abduction survivors. These cases include eight accounts of torture and sexual abuse which occurred as recently as after 8 January 2015, and fourteen cases which occurred in 2014. The report refers to 84 witnesses who were asked about reprisals against their families.In its substance, this report paints a disturbing picture of a multifaceted assault of terror still wreaked in 2015. The report says that though there initially was huge optimism that the new Sri Lankan Government would credibly address accountability for the past and end ongoing human rights abuses, the fact is that even the new coalition contains leaders who deny that war crimes and post-war violations against humanity or other serious human rights violations had taken place. The new government quickly won international backing and achieved a postponement of the presentation of the probe report by the Human Rights Council of the UN into 'alleged serious violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes' from 2002-11 in Sri Lanka. The report also has analyzed the conflict of Interest in the role of the Attorney General, the role of the Attorney General's Department in the original investigation and the dual and conflicting roles played by the AG's Department.