[Imc-oxford] SUSPECTED WAR CRIMINAL COMES TO SPEAK AT OXFORD UNION!

[tim martin]

 Hi please take a look at this and try and run the story.

Regards

Tim Martin
Director Act Now



SUSPECTED WAR CRIMINAL COMES TO SPEAK AT OXFORD UNION!

The President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse, is due to speak at the Oxford
Union (at Oxford University) on Thursday 2nd December. Rumors abound that he
will be met by a large demonstration from members of the Tamil community and
human rights groups protesting at alleged War Crimes committed in Sri Lanka
at the end of a Civil War in May 2009. The Tamils have proved in
demonstrations outside Parliament over a year ago, their capacity to
mobilise supporters.

The previous attempt by the Oxford Union to host the President was abandoned
last month due to fears that the President would be arrested under 'War
Crimes' charges. This is because under British laws it is possible to obtain
an arrest warrant under the principle of universal jurisdiction which allows
a prosecution in this country for alleged human rights abuses whether
committed in the UK or overseas.

Such laws have met with growing controversy after Israel has objected
strongly to those laws which meant that the deputy Israeli Prime Minister
and its Opposition Leader have canceled their planned visits to Britain
fearing arrest. The laws were used most famously when Mrs Thatcher was in
office, against General Augusto Pinochet an ex-President of Chile. He was
arrested and held under house arrest on charges of crimes against humanity,
before being released on health grounds without being charged.

WAR CRIME ALLEGATIONS

In President Rajapakse case he faces a large Tamil Diaspora here in the UK
(up to 300,000) who have vowed to hound a man they believe was responsible
for the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, the illegal incarceration
under international law of over 300,000 in concentration camps for a year
and the holding without trial in secret centers of over 8,000 rebels, all of
which might be classed as a War Crime under various International
Conventions. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has set up a three-man
Committee to look at ways to deal with the War Crime allegations, ( whom
have so far been refused visa's to investigate within Sri Lanka).

Until a decision is made by the UN and the International Community on these
allegations private individuals are threatening to use the existing laws
against the Sri Lankan President. The Pinochet case sets the precedent that
it is possible to obtain an arrest warrant against such individual, even a
President. The reaction to the speech is likely to be a 'extremely lively'
affair on Thursday.

End

  For further information, please contact:

Tim Martin, Director, Act Now
Tel: +44(0)7817 504 227
Email: <http://uk.mc257.mail.yahoo..com/mc/compose?to=info.actnow@gmail.com>
info.actnow at gmail.com<http://uk.mc257.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=info.actnow@gmail.com>
Site: <http://www.act-now.info/>www.act-now.info

Graham Williamson, Director, Act Now
Tel: +44(0)7970 455 445
Email: <http://uk.mc257.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=info.actnow@gmail.com>
info.actnow at gmail.com<http://uk.mc257.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=info.actnow@gmail.com>
Site: <http://www.act-now.info/>www.act-now.info



Sockalingham Yogalingam, Director, Act Now

Tel: +44(0)7948 380433

Email: <http://uk.mc257.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=info.actnow@gmail.com>
info.actnow at gmail.com<http://uk.mc257.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=info.actnow@gmail.com>
Site: <http://www.act-now.info/>www.act-now.info
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