Colombo, July 30 – As the 20th anniversary of the Muttur massacre approaches, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has expressed concern that those responsible for the killing of 17 humanitarian aid workers have yet to be held accountable.
The rights organization also called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government to fulfill its election pledge to appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate major human rights cases, including the Muttur massacre.
In a statement, James Ross, Human Rights Watch’s Director of Legal and Policy, recalled being in Sri Lanka when the killings occurred on August 4, 2006.
“I was in Sri Lanka when 17 humanitarian aid workers were brutally killed in Muttur. I have written about the case ever since, but even after 20 years, those responsible have still not been brought to justice,” Ross said.
The 17 victims were employees of the French-based humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger (Action Contre la Faim), which was operating in Sri Lanka during the armed conflict.
According to Human Rights Watch, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) captured Muttur on August 2, 2006, trapping the aid workers inside their office amid intense fighting. After government forces regained control of the town on August 4, the bodies of 15 staff members were found inside the organization’s compound with gunshot wounds to the head and neck. The bodies of two other employees, believed to have attempted to flee, were later discovered inside a nearby vehicle.
At the time, the Sri Lankan military stated that the victims had been killed by the LTTE. However, Human Rights Watch noted that subsequent investigations, including one conducted by the University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna), disputed that account and alleged the involvement of members of the Sri Lankan security forces, while also claiming that efforts were made to obstruct the investigation. Those allegations have remained the subject of longstanding dispute.
Human Rights Watch described the Muttur massacre as one of the most serious human rights cases arising from Sri Lanka’s civil war and noted that it remains among a number of unresolved cases that successive governments have pledged to investigate.
The organization said the families of the 17 aid workers, along with relatives of thousands of others who were allegedly killed, forcibly disappeared or tortured during the conflict, continue to await justice.
Human Rights Watch urged the government to promptly implement its commitment to appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate major human rights cases, including the Muttur massacre.
The organization also called on the international community to continue encouraging Sri Lanka to ensure accountability, justice, and redress for victims of wartime abuses and other serious human rights violations.
