The Ghosts of Constitution Hill
I sense I’m standing on hallowed ground. A place searing with warnings, some heeded, many forgotten. Here the weight of history lays heavy on me, the solemn, searching, haunted visitor. I’ve never…
War Crimes
The Murders of Troublesome Priests
January 6 this year is the 40 anniversary of the killing of Fr. Mary Bastian, a Catholic priest from the diocese of Mannar. It will be yet another anniversary to be celebrated without…
They Nailed Themselves to the Cross
Christianity gained popularity in Sri Lanka following the arrival of European invaders and became a widely practiced religion over time. The Nestorian crosses discovered during archaeological excavations in Anuradhapura, which was a…
Christmas Card to a President
You ask me to sign a card to the outgoing president and his teacher spouse. Happy to do so while biting my tongue and repeating the mantra that this is a…
Open Sesame for War Criminals?
In the second decade of the 21st Century, genocide is being televised. , the channel promises Israeli audiences “exclusive content from Gaza” – gory videos of death and destruction visited on Palestinians…
The United Nations’ Paradox: Peacekeeper or Power Puppet?
Racism has been a persistent challenge in human societies. Apart from the historical movements and the fight for justice and rights for marginalised groups, shrouded in open declarations of peace and unity,…
Reports Expose Israel’s Campaign of Total Extermination and Genocide in Gaza
A leading human rights organization, Human Rights Watch, and a humanitarian medical organization, MSF, have exposed Israeli’s campaign of total extermination and the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza. In a…
Bringing Perpetrators of Gross Human Rights Violations to Task
The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), an independent NGO working since 2013 to protect and promote justice and accountability in Sri Lanka, has submitted more than 60 sanctions and visa ban…
Amnesty International: Israel Committing Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza
Amnesty International’s research has found sufficient basis to conclude that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, the organization said in a landmark…
Culture of Impunity Enables Grave Human Rights Violations to Continue Unchecked
Despite ongoing pressure from the international community, reforms to advance human rights and reconciliation, especially in institutional and security sectors, have not occurred. On the contrary, there are renewed threats to fundamental…
Seventy Five Years of the Geneva Conventions
In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, Groundviews conducted an in depth interview with Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy, a distinguished human rights lawyer and former UN Under-Secretary-General. Dr. Coomaraswamy, renowned…
The Utility of Tears
These tears fall into buckets, run to streams and rivers. These tears, shed weight from the body, leave a light patina like drops on the windowpane. How to go on…
Spring
Where do these words come from? From the bleeding River Jordan. From the Gaza sea bobbing with bodies and food packages. From the mosque in Rafah in the gunsights of…
The Bitter Legacy of a Blood Stained Civil War
Thousands of people gathered in a hot, dusty field in Mullavaikkal in the Mullaitivu district to mark the end of the bloody civil war on May 19, 2009. The area was dotted…
Shades of an Undead Past
In Sri Lanka of 2024, kanji is a four letter word. During the long Eelam war, all sides committed horrendous atrocities. Sri Lankan forces, the LTTE and anti-Tiger Tamil groups all were…