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Name: GL Gender: Female Age: 34 Date Detained: October 2008 Date Released: November 2008 Circumstances of detention: GL was at her uncle’s house in Vavuniya in October 2008 when she was identified as an LTTE operative during a random search operation conducted by police and military intelligence. GL told Human Rights Watch she was taken to the local police station with a group of other people. Account: I was detained in a cell in the police station. There were always three or four officials who questioned me, some in police uniforms while others who spoke Tamil were mostly in civilian clothes. I was beaten up severely during questioning and burned repeatedly with cigarette butts on my inner thighs. I was kept undressed during questioning, and the men in civilian clothes groped my breasts and genitals. They did not rape me during questioning. Some of the officials who questioned me came to my cell at night with some other people. This happened repeatedly. Often one would watch while the other raped me. Sometimes, I smelled alcohol on them. They would say things like “You are LTTE” in Sinhala. I did not understand the other things they said. I was raped almost every night for 18 days. The men would come to my cell after 10 p.m. I was given one food packet during the day. The interrogation and beatings took place in the evening. The officials forced me to admit that I was with the LTTE and sign documents in Sinhala. 168 In her medico-legal report, on file with Human Rights Watch, GL was diagnosed with complex posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder. GL told Human Rights Watch she secured her release from detention in November 2008 after her uncle bribed officials in the police and army. 168 Human Rights Watch interview with GL, November 22, 2011. 121 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | FEBRUARY 2013
Name: TH Gender: Female Age: 28 Date Detained: September 2008 Date Released: September 2008 Circumstances of detention: In September 2008, TH, a Sinhalese woman was asleep in her rented accommodation in Kelaniya, a Colombo suburb, when she was awakened by someone banging on the door of her landlord’s house. Account: My “uncle” [landlord] opened the door and there was a group of people, some in army uniform and others in civilian clothes. One man in civilian clothes came forward and showed his ID. He said he was from the CID and asked if someone by the name of Sundaram [a pseudonym] lived there. I overheard this and came forward as Sundararm was the name of my boyfriend. The officials searched my room and found Sundaram’s gym bag and a suitcase. They asked me to open the suitcase, but I did not know how to. They broke the lock and found a suicide-bomber’s green jacket and bomb-making equipment. They started kicking me and punching me. They grabbed my hair and kept banging my head against the wall. They kept saying, “Where is the Tamil you wanted to marry? This is the man you wanted to marry.” They blindfolded and handcuffed me and took me away. On the way, I was kicked and punched. At the detention center, I was questioned and tortured. I was burned with cigarettes, beaten on the soles of my feet with batons, and beaten all over with electric wires. The interrogators were both male and female. They forced a petrol-infused plastic bag on my head and tried to asphyxiate me. They almost drowned me by forcing my head down in a barrel of dirty water. They kept asking me about Sundaram and his friends and acquaintances. During the interrogation, the officials kicked me and spat at me. They treated me worse than an animal. I was taken to another place after I signed a confession statement. I think it was the CID fourth floor office. Over there, I was raped again and again. I am not sure how many times. I was forced to sign another statement in Sinhala that said that I worked against the Sri Lankan government and supported the LTTE. 169 169 Human Rights Watch interview with TH, December 28, 2011. “WE WILL TEACH YOU A LESSON” 122
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H U M A N R I G H T S W A T C H “
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Copyright © 2013 Human Rights Watc
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Map of Sri Lanka
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Available information indicates tha
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sexual violence such as bites on th
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Not all detainees subjected to sexu
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surveillance of civil society group
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Methodology From November 2011 to O
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I. Background The 26-year-long arme
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The Sri Lankan government declared
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Senior government officials initial
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From 1990 to 2002, Sri Lankan civil
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of women and girls. In its response
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ongoing military control over admin
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damages. 43 The UN has reaffirmed t
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Aside from their direct criminal re
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Rights Watch and other organization
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Criminal Investigation Department (
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For instance, GD, a 31-year-old wom
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Human Rights Watch that he and othe
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international airport, and taken to
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Violations: Denial of Basic Due Pro
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on this aspect of torture. “Victi
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IV. Domestic Response Post-War Barr
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LTTE conspiracy to defame and demon
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It is possible to identify specific
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• Establish, maintain, and public
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Appendix: Cases of Rape and Other S
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Name: KM Gender: Male Age: 22 Date
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Name: DK Gender: Male Age: 21 Date
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Name: VV Gender: Male Age: 29 Date
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Name: BL Gender: Male Age: 28 Date
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Name: KP Gender: Male Age: 31 Date
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They left me naked with my hands ti
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Name: MB Gender: Male Age: 27 Date
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Name: JV Gender: Male Age: 28 Date
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Name: IR Gender: Female Age: 29 Dat
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Page 93 and 94: Name: YN Gender: Male Age: 46 Date
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Page 115 and 116: Name: OP Gender: Male Age: 20 Date
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Page 121 and 122: Name: KN Gender: Female Age: 30 Dat
Page 123 and 124: Name: JM Gender: Female Age: 31 Dat
Page 125 and 126: MG’s medico-legal report, on file
Page 127: I could not endure the torture anym
Page 131 and 132: Name: DJ Gender: Female Age: 23 Dat
Page 133 and 134: Name: PR Gender: Male Age: 26 Date
Page 135 and 136: Name: MJ Gender: Female Age: 32 Dat
Page 137 and 138: They kicked me on my genitals and r
Page 139 and 140: Name: DH Gender: Female Age: 32 Dat
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Page 143 and 144: Name: DV Gender: Female Age: 37 Dat
Page 145 and 146: Name: PT Gender: Male Age: 23 Date
Page 147: “We Will Teach You a Lesson” Se
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