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No Fire Zone: the Killing Fields of Sri Lanka Organize Your Film Screening

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No Fire Zone: the Killing Fields of Sri Lanka Organize Your Film Screening 1 No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka Organize Your Film Screening Dear%Activist,% This screening guide contains tips and suggestions for planning your No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka screening and discussion, as well as background on the situation in Sri Lanka and a Q&A on the documentary. Successful film screenings will not only raise awareness about the situation in Sri Lanka but also generate discussion and action about the issues raised in the film. To assist you in organizing an effective screening event, this guide includes: Background on Sri Lanka .....................................................................page 3 Q&A on No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka.......................page 6 Six Steps to Organizing a Successful Film Screening ..........................page 7 Event Planning Checklist ......................................................................page 10 Sample Agenda for Your Film Screening Event ...................................page 11 Tips for Facilitators ...............................................................................page 12 Driving up Attendance for Your Event .................................................page 14 Top Five Screening Ideas for Local Groups ..........................................page 16 Building the Momentum: Follow-up Action--- .....................................page 17 Sample Event Flyer ................................................................................page 19 Event Sign-in Sheet ................................................................................page 20 Please don’t hesitate to be in touch with us with any questions, concerns, ideas and suggestions. Good luck organizing your event! We look forward to hearing about your local successes? In solidarity, The Sri Lanka team at AIUSA **Please note: some of the scenes in the film are very disturbing. It is NOT for younger viewers.! Contact Information: Jim McDonald, AIUSA Sri Lanka Country Specialist Email: [email protected] Twitter: @jmccdon Facebook: Jim McDonald Aiusa Srilanka! 2 Background on Sri Lanka Background During 1983 - 2009, Sri Lanka was wracked by a civil war between the security forces (who are mostly from the majority Sinhalese community) and the armed Tamil opposition group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who were seeking an independent state for the Tamil minority in the north and east of the island. While human rights abuses were committed by both sides during the long decades of conflict, the final years of the war saw a heightened intensity of fighting, accompanied by soaring human rights abuses: hundreds of enforced disappearances, targeted and indiscriminate attacks against civilians, arbitrary arrests, torture and the use of child soldiers. Some of these abuses may constitute war crimes. An independent international investigation into these reported abuses is needed in order to achieve truth and justice for the victims and their families. On March 27, 2014, the U.N. Human Rights Council finally authorized the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to carry out such an investigation. In recent years, cases of torture and enforced disappearances have continued to be reported, with no one being held responsible. Outside the war zone, journalists and other media workers have been attacked. At least 14 media workers have been the victims of unlawful killings since the beginning of 2006; one has allegedly disappeared in the custody of the security forces, while others have been tortured and arbitrarily detained. Draconian anti-terrorism laws have been used to silence critical media and generally violate freedom of expression in Sri Lanka, including through detention without charge or trial for periods lasting up to 18 months. Sri Lanka’s Obligations Under International Law International humanitarian law applies to internal armed conflicts like the one in Sri Lanka and applies to both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. In particular, Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions (to which Sri Lanka is a party) prohibits the killing of civilians through indiscriminate shelling, deliberate attacks against civilians or civilian objects (such as hospitals and food distribution lines), and the denial of medical care to the sick and wounded. The Sri Lankan government forces are reported to have committed these acts during the final months of the war. Some of the actions of the government forces also violated international human rights law, including alleged enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and torture of detainees. International humanitarian law also applies to the LTTE and forbids the taking of hostages (including forcibly using civilians as “human shields”), deliberate killings of civilians fleeing the war zone, locating military objects near densely populated areas, the recruitment of child soldiers and the use of forced labor. The LTTE is reported as having committed these abuses during the final months of the war. 3 Some violations of international humanitarian law amount to war crimes; others may constitute crimes against humanity. In the case of Sri Lanka, the following reported acts of the government forces may be war crimes: intentional and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, attacks against medical facilities, starvation of the civilian population in the war zone, and enforced disappearances. The LTTE may have committed war crimes by deliberately attacking civilians and forcibly recruiting child soldiers. Human Rights Crimes Allegedly Committed Amnesty International has interviewed Sri Lankan war survivors who say that the Sri Lankan army and the LTTE both committed war crimes, including targeted and indiscriminate attacks against civilians. The extent of violations in the later stages of the conflict remains unknown, however, following a government crackdown on independent reporting on the conflict beginning in 2008. By denying access to the conflict zone to UN agencies, humanitarian, human rights and other non- governmental organizations, as well as international journalists, the government excluded international scrutiny and effectively denied urgent critical humanitarian assistance to civilians. A Sri Lankan government statement that approximately 3,000 to 5,000 civilians were killed in the last phase of the war is considered by many to be vastly underestimated. Estimates by the UN based on a daily count up to April 2009 put the civilian death toll at about 7,000; and it was estimated by some aid workers that as many as 1,000 civilians a day may have died after that. Unofficial estimates by UN personnel present in Sri Lanka during the final phase of fighting say that more than 20,000 people (and possibly up to 40,000) people may have been killed between January and May 2009. ! The Current Situation The failure to act has left victims of human rights violations without access to justice, truth or reparations. Hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans displaced at the end of the decades-long conflict struggle to rebuild their shattered communities in heavily militarized surroundings, with many still looking for justice for their killed relatives or waiting for word of the fate of their family members arrested at the end of the war. The U.N.’s recently authorized international inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka brings new hope for thousands of victims of abuses in the country. It is important that the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights be provided the necessary material and political support to make the investigation as robust and far-reaching as possible, with an aim of establishing the truth and tackling impunity for past violations. 4 Since the end of the war, the Sri Lankan government has not only failed to provide accountability for war crimes, it has launched an aggressive campaign against those in Sri Lanka advocating for accountability and an end to impunity. Human rights defenders, journalists and activists critical of the government have been threatened and harassed. The draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) has been used to detain without charge or trial peaceful critics and those suspected of links to the LTTE. Torture of prisoners is common in Sri Lanka despite laws prohibiting it. The PTA facilitates torture by reversing the burden of proof where torture or ill-treatment of detainees is alleged. Hundreds continue to languish in prison without ever being charged with a crime or given a trial. Arrests under the PTA are continuing to be made by the security forces. What is Amnesty asking for? Amnesty International is asking that the Sri Lankan government: (1) repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act and abolish the system of administrative detention in Sri Lanka; (2) release all individuals who have been arrested under emergency or anti-terrorism laws (including the PTA), unless they are promptly charged with a recognizable criminal offense and given a fair trial in accordance with international standards; (3) provide adequate medical care and compensation to torture victims; and (4) investigate and prosecute those responsible for torture. Additional Resources Check out amnestyusa.org/srilanka for the latest reports, press releases and other AI documents on Sri Lanka. Please take action for human rights in Sri Lanka by sending online letters to the Sri Lankan government; go to tinyurl.com/SriLankanonlineactions to find the latest AI actions on Sri Lanka. 5 Q&A on No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka What is “No Fire Zone: The Killing
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