Sri Lanka: meurtre du défenseur des droits humains Révérend Père M X Karunaratnam

Your Excellency,

I am gravely concerned following the killing of human rights defender Rev. Fr. M X Karunaratnam, Chairperson of the NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESoHR), in Vanni on 20 April 2008. NESoHR is a local, independent human rights monitoring body in the North East of Sri Lanka.

On 20 April 2008, at approximately 12:30pm, Rev. Fr. M X Karunaratnam was killed in a claymore anti-personel mine attack on Mallaavi-Vavunikku'lam Road in Vanni. Rev. Fr. M X Karunaratnam used the road regularly to get to his residential prayer and counselling centre in Vavunikku'lam. His vehicle was known publicly.

On this occasion he was on his way to a remembrance event for Mr Sivanesan, an MP for the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), who was reportedly also killed in a claymore anti-personel mine attack on 6 March 2008. Rev. Fr. M X Karunaratnam's car had broken down and he was steering it whilst being towed. The car which was towing him was not targeted.

Some reports have claimed that the Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lankan army was responsible for these killings. I am calling for an immediate, exhaustive, and impartial investigation into the killing of Rev. Fr. M X Karunaratnam.

In a recent report Rev. Fr. M X Karunaratnam called for a United Nations body to be established to monitor human rights violations in Sri Lanka. He added that Sri Lanka's human rights record was totally unacceptable and that there had been many adverse reports on human rights violations against Tamils.

Other members of the NESoHR have reportedly been targetted previously. Founder members and TNA MPs A. Chandra Nehru and Joseph Pararajasingam were killed in 2005. Another founding member of the NESoHR was forced to go into exile.

As Chairperson of the NESoHR, Rev. Fr. M X Karunaratnam worked on strengthening the human rights protection mechanisms in the North East of Sri Lanka. He also played a key role in providing psychological support to those in the North East who had been affected by the war and by the tsunami disaster in December 2004.

I believe that Rev. Fr. Karunaratnam was targeted because of his legitimate work as a human rights defender, in particular for raising awareness of human rights violations against Tamil people in Sri Lanka. I am concerned that this attack may represent an ongoing trend of targetting human rights defenders in Sri Lanka.

I urge the Sri Lankan authorities to:

Initiate an immediate, exhaustive, and impartial investigation into the killing of Rev. Fr. M X Karunaratnam, publishing the results and bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards;

Take measures to ensure that all human rights defenders in Sri Lanka, carrying out their legitimate work, are free to operate without fear of restrictions or reprisals.

I respectfully remind you that the United Nations Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1998, recognises the legitimacy of the activities of human rights defenders, their right to freedom of association and to carry out their activities without fear of reprisals.

I would particularly draw attention to Article 6 (c): “ Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, (...) to study, discuss, form and hold opinions on the observance, both in law and in practice, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and, through these and other appropriate means, to draw public attention to those matters,” to Article 9 (5): “The State shall conduct a prompt and impartial investigation or ensure that an inquiry takes place whenever there is reasonable ground to believe that a violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms has occurred in any territory under its jurisdiction,” and to Article 12 (2.): “The State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration.”

Yours sincerely,