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What is the Tamil Genocide?

Historical and geographic context

  • Sri Lankan Tamils are concentrated in the North and East. During the war’s final months in 2009, government forces shelled densely populated “No Fire Zones”, struck medical facilities, and trapped civilians between front lines—producing mass casualties and displacement. (Human Rights Watch)

 

International recognition

  • The UN OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL, 2015) found reasonable grounds to conclude that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed by government forces and the LTTE, including unlawful attacks on civilians and hospitals. (OHCHR)

  • The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) created and later strengthened an evidence-preservation mechanism(OHCHR’s Sri Lanka Accountability Project) under Resolution 46/1 (2021) and subsequent renewals, to collect, analyze, and preserve material for future prosecutions. (OHCHR)

  • Rights organizations continue to press for accountability, citing consistent patterns of violations and impunity since 2009. (Human Rights Watch)

Seven core patterns of harm

  1. Indiscriminate shelling of civilian “No Fire Zones”. Government forces repeatedly fired heavy artillery into areas designated for civilian safety, causing mass casualties. (Human Rights Watch​)

  2. Attacks on hospitals and medical points. Investigators documented dozens of strikes on permanent and makeshift hospitals in the Vanni; coordinates had been shared to protect them. (Human Rights Watch​)

  3. Unlawful killings, including of those surrendering. Evidence indicates executions of prisoners and surrendered LTTE members during the final days, alongside other summary killings. Human Rights Watch​

  4. Enforced disappearances. Sri Lanka has one of the world’s highest numbers of unresolved disappearances; OISL reviewed hundreds of cases, and families still seek truth. (2009-2017.state.gov​)

  5. Torture and sexual violence. UN and NGO reporting describe systematic abuse in detention, including rape and other ill-treatment. (OHCHR​)

  6. Denied/obstructed aid. Authorities used deliberately low civilian estimates to restrict supplies; even queues for milk powder were shelled. (Human Rights Watch​)

  7. Post-war militarization, land seizures, and repression. Heavy army presence, land grabs, and harassment of memorial events persist in Tamil areas. (Human Rights Watch)

Major crimes & features (at a glance)

A state-led campaign in 2009 used heavy artillery against civilians in declared safe zones, struck hospitals, and permitted enforced disappearances and executions—followed by militarization and impunity. UN bodies now preserve evidence to support future prosecutions. 

Quotes

“The Sri Lankan armed forces have repeatedly struck hospitals in the northern Vanni… attacks that may be prosecuted as war crimes.” (Human Rights Watch)

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“Up to 40,000 civilians were killed in the final months… virtually every hospital in the Vanni was hit by artillery.” (UN Panel of Experts, via HRW) 

Reports & resources

  • UN OISL (2015): Findings of war crimes/crimes against humanity; attacks on hospitals and No-Fire Zones. OHCHR

  • HRW (2009): Repeated Shelling of Hospitals (Vanni). Human Rights Watch

  • HRW (2024): 15 Years Since the Conflict Ended, No Justice (impunity, suppression, land issues). Human Rights Watch

  • HRC Resolution 46/1 (2021): Evidence-preservation mechanism for accountability. docs.un.org

  • OHCHR Sri Lanka Accountability Project: Mandate & updates. OHCHR

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