“These physicians were doing nothing more than following the Hippocratic
oath and the Geneva conventions.”
Susannah Sirkin,
Deputy Director of Physicians for Human Rights
January 18, 2010
Court
orders release of Vanni doctors if no evidence is found against
them
A court in Sri Lanka has ordered police
to release five Tamil doctors who served in the battle zone during
the last stages of war, if no evidence is found against them. Colombo
magistrates court also ordered the Criminal Investigation Division
(CID) to speed up the investigations that has already taken more
than eight months. The doctors who worked in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu
districts; T Satyamurthy, V Shanmugarajah, T Vardharajah, Ilanchelian
Vallavan and N Ketheesh appeared before the court on Monday. Investigations
on whether the accused have committed any offence under emergency
regulations are continuing. The police were ordered to submit a
detailed report on the investigations on June 14. Source: BBC Sinhala.
November 9, 2009
Doctors
still under investigation, hearing postponed
Although casualty figures given by the
doctors have been vehemently denied by Sri Lanka's government and
its military, a recent report by the US state department has detailed
accounts of heavy civilian casualties resulting from attacks by
Sri Lankan security forces. In a report submitted to the court,
the CID said the investigations are still continued despite the
doctors admitting providing false reports under pressure from the
LTTE. The hearing was postponed until January 18. Source: BBC Sinhala.
November 1, 2009
Physicians
in Danger: An Inside Look at Doctors in Conflict Zones
The stories of Dr. T. Sathiyamoorthy,
Dr. V. Shanmugarajah and Dr. T. Varatharajah made headlines around
the world this year and the plight to ensure their safety has quickly
become a cause for the international medical community. The November
2nd Toronto-based event, sponsored by Amnesty International Canada
and the Save the Doctors Campaign, will examine the issues of medical
neutrality, press freedom and human rights in the context of doctors
in conflict situations.
October 19, 2009
Canadian Medical
Association Journal: Doctors in Detention
October 10, 2009
Medical
Professionals Join Forces to Save Doctors in Danger
Endorsed by Amnesty International Canada
and Physicians for Human Rights, Save the Doctors Campaign is a
global effort to ensure justice for three government-employed doctors
who worked tirelessly to treat thousands of patients during the
last weeks of the war in Sri Lanka. The campaign has sent an appeal,
with prominent signatories from around the world, to Sri Lankan
government officials this week.
September 7, 2009
Lives of Doctors
Still in Danger
Dr. Thangamuthu Sathiyamoorthy, Dr.
Veerakkathi Shanmugarajah and Dr. Thurairajah Varatharajah were
released on August 24, 2009, along with their colleague Dr. Ilancheliyan
Pallavan. A fifth physician, Dr. Sivapalan, remains in detention.
They are due in court on November 9 for allegedly providing “false
information” to the international community and media.
July 26, 2009
Save
The Doctors Campaign: A Global Initiative to Free Physicians Facing
Persecution
- World Medical Association
The World Medical Association has urged the President of Sri Lanka to intervene on behalf of three government-employed doctors, two of whom have been detained and the third taken to an unknown destination, after working in the conflict zone in Sri Lanka. In a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Dr. Yoram Blachar, President of the WMA, calls for the three doctors to be given immediate access to lawyers and either charged or released.
- British Medical Association
The BMA has continued to monitor developments in Sri Lanka, and to call on all parties to respect international health and human rights standards. It has also written in support of detained doctors.
- Australian Medical Association
AMA (NSW) has voiced concern for the safety and wellbeing of three doctors missing in Sri Lanka since Friday 15 May 2009. In a letter to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith MP, AMA (NSW) President Dr Brian Morton called on the Australian Government to demand the Sri Lankan Government account for the missing doctors.
- Physicians
For Human Rights
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) calls for the immediate release of three Sri Lankan physicians whom the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) detained on May 16, 2009. A Minister of Health official stated on May 18 that government forces handed over the physicians to police.
PHR Calls for Inquiry into Detention of Doctors and War Crimes in Sri Lanka
PHR calls on the Sri Lankan government to release the doctors immediately and to respect their rights to legal counsel and to receive medical care as well as family visits. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) should also be given immediate access to the doctors.
- Amnesty International
Amnesty International has issued an Urgent Action about the safety of three medical doctors who are being held in detention. Amnesty International is concerned for the safety of three government employed doctors who had been working in the conflict zone in north eastern Sri Lanka until 15 May. Dr T. Sathiyamoorthy, Dr T. Varatharajah and Dr. Shanmugarajah were treating the sick and wounded until they reportedly travelled out of the ‘No Fire Zone’ with approximately 5,000 other civilians.
- Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch expressed special concern for the fate of displaced medical personnel who provided care to the wounded in the only operating field hospital in the war zone until they too were forced to flee. The Human Rights Council should call for their immediate release.
- Medha Patkar
Social activist Medha Patkar requested the international community to put pressure on the Sri Lankan government to release the three detained doctors, who were working in the Vanni area. Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, she pressed for the release of Dr. Sathiyamoorthy, Dr.Varatharajah and Dr. Shanmugarajah, who have been detained by the Lankan army and added that they were detained for only offering medical services to the people.
- Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders urges the Sri Lankan authorities to quickly release three Tamil doctors - Thangamuthu Sathiyamoorthy, Thurairajah Varatharajah and V.Shanmugarajah - who have been arrested for providing the news media with information about the humanitarian situation in Vanni.
- Committee to Protect Journalists
CPJ welcomes the reported end of military hostilities in Sri Lanka, but we once again appeal to the Rajapaksa government to reverse its policies of silencing the media and immediately release the detained Tamil doctors.
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