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e-3192 (Foreign affairs)
E-petition
Initiated by Kumanan Kunaratnam from Toronto, Ontario
Original language of petition: English
Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
- Sri Lanka has accessed Independence on February 4, 1948, from British rule through the amalgamation of two distinct nations, one being the Tamil nation;
- Sri Lanka has accessed, and Canada has signed, the United Nations' Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide;
- Sri Lanka has numerous documented cases of genocidal activities as outlined in Article II of the aforementioned convention;
- The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and its forces have avoided prosecution of those who committed acts of genocide; and
- The GoSL continues to oppress the basic human rights of Tamils to this present day, continuing to perpetuate the structural genocide of the Indigenous Tamil people of Eelam.
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:
1) Refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court (ICC);
2) Submit for trial to the ICC members of the GoSL and its forces who are significant contributors to the genocidal activities as outlined in Articles III and IV of the Convention;
3) Sanction travel bans and asset freezes on the identified war criminals in Sri Lanka to advance accountability and justice in following suit with the United States' Department of State’s travel ban on Shavendra Silva;
4) Impose economic sanctions on Sri Lanka;
5) Petition the United Nations to conduct an international, impartial and independent mechanism into the conduct of the GoSL and its forces; and
6) Ensure the new resolution mandates stopping the ongoing genocide against Tamils and proposes a referendum with international monitors and victims’ participation, to ensure Tamils’ rights to self-determination.
- Open for signature
- February 18, 2021, at 6:23 p.m. (EDT)
- Closed for signature
- March 20, 2021, at 6:23 p.m. (EDT)
