Demand for arrest of former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya [TKB World]

A South African human rights group has filed a criminal complaint against 73-year-old former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Singapore. The organization has demanded the arrest of Rajapaksa for his role in the decades-long civil war against the LTTE in Sri Lanka.

Lawyers for the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) of South Africa submitted this criminal complaint to the Attorney General of Singapore. Rajapaksa is in Singapore after leaving Sri Lanka, which is facing financial crisis, but now the government there has also given him an ultimatum to leave the country. Rajapaksa’s role in the elimination of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and its chief Prabhakaran has been blamed by some for human rights abuses.

According to the information, Gotabaya was Defense Secretary from 2005 to 2014 during the tenure of his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa as President. The complaint said Gotabaya’s role in ending the conflict with the LTTE after the death of Velupillai Prabhakaran in 2009 is “very divisive” as it has been accused of human right violation.

Alleged violation of the Geneva Convention

The 63-page complaint argued that Gotabaya Rajapaksa had violated the Geneva Conventions during the 2009 civil war, which are offenses subject to domestic prosecution in Singapore under sovereign jurisdiction. The complaint emphasized that Gotabaya himself was an army officer, yet he violated the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law and international criminal law during the civil war.

100k people died in brutal war in 30 years

According to Sri Lankan government figures, more than 20,000 people went missing due to several conflicts, including a three-decade-long brutal war with the Lankan Tamils ​​in the north and east. At least 100,000 people were killed there.

Gotabaya ordered to leave Singapore

The Singapore administration has asked Rajapaksa to leave the country. It has been said by the administration that the 15-day exemption given to them to stay in Singapore cannot be extended further. After Gotabaya’s resignation, the Singapore administration also refused to give asylum to the former president. It is believed that many cases can be tried against Gotabaya in Sri Lanka. After Gotabaya’s arrival in Singapore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that he has reached here on a personal visit. The Singapore Foreign Ministry said that he has neither sought asylum, nor has he been granted any asylum.

The statement said that Singapore generally does not provide asylum. According to media reports, Gotabaya can now leave for Saudi Arabia.