COLOMBO: A group of Sri Lankan Tamil expatriates filed a case against Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the US District Court in Washington on Friday, alleging that he was responsible for extrajudicial killings. The petitioners had sought $30 million in damages from him.
Bruce Fein, a prominent Washingtonbased American lawyer, told a news agency that he filed the suit on behalf of three plaintiffs belonging to rights group Tamils Against Genocide (TAG), under a 1991 Act, which allowed action in the US against foreign officials in cases of torture and extrajudicial killings.
"President Rajapaksa will not escape the long arm of justice secured by the Torture Victims Protection Act by hiding in Sri Lanka," Fein was quoted as saying after filing the case.
A long time supporter of the LTTE, Fein said he wanted a reply from Rajapaksa. If he did not get one, he would seek a ruling without him.
Claiming damages, he said relatives of the three plaintiffs were killed in three incidents, including the Lankan army's offensive in 2009, in which thousands of Tamil civilians were reportedly killed.
Precedent for case
TAG said it was encouraged to support a lawsuit against Rajapaksa by the June 2010 "Samantar decision" of the US Supreme Court, which said that countries, and not individuals, enjoyed diplomatic immunity from lawsuits in the US.
In the Samantar case, the apex court had ruled unanimously that Mohamed Ali Samantar, a former Prime Minister of Somalia, who now lives in the US, might be sued for alleged torture during his rule.
Lanka dismissive
However, back in Colombo, the Lankan government dismissed the case and dubbed the plaintiffs and their lawyer as proxies of LTTE terrorists.
"We have no time for mercenaries funded by LTTE terrorists who want media attention," said Bandula Jayasekara, spokesman for President Rajapaksa.
A few days ago, Rajapaksa had been to the US on a "private" visit. TAG, which wanted Washington to take some action against the Lankan leader, said in a statement that it was "alarmed and disappointed" that the US authorities allowed Rajapaksa to visit the country.