The Killing Fields

Jon Snow presents a forensic investigation into the final weeks of the quarter-century-long civil war between the government of Sri Lanka and the secessionist rebels, the Tamil Tigers.

With disturbing and distressing descriptions and film of executions, atrocities and the shelling of civilians the programme features devastating new video evidence of war crimes - some of the most horrific footage Channel 4 has ever broadcast.

Captured on mobile phones, both by Tamils under attack and government soldiers as war trophies, the disturbing footage shows: the extra-judicial executions of prisoners; the aftermath of targeted shelling of civilian camps; and dead female Tamil fighters who appear to have been raped or sexually assaulted, abused and murdered.

The film is made and broadcast as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon faces growing criticism for refusing to launch an investigation into 'credible allegations' that Sri Lankan forces committed war crimes during the closing weeks of the bloody conflict with the Tamil Tigers.

In April 2011, Ban Ki-moon published a report by a UN-appointed panel of experts, which concluded that as many as 40,000 people were killed in the final weeks of the war between the Tamil Tigers and government forces.

It called for the creation of an international mechanism to investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law committed by government forces and the Tamil Tigers during that time.

This film provides powerful evidence that will lend new urgency to the panel's call for an international inquiry to be mounted, including harrowing interviews with eye-witnesses, new photographic stills, official Sri Lankan army video footage, and satellite imagery.

Also examined in the film are some of the horrific atrocities carried out by the Tamil Tigers, who used civilians as human shields.

Channel 4 News has consistently reported on the bloody denouement of Sri Lanka's civil war. Sri Lanka's Killing Fields presents a further damning account of the actions of Sri Lankan forces, in a war that the government still insists was conducted with a policy of Zero Civilian Casualties.

The film raises serious questions about the consequences if the UN fails to act, not only with respect to Sri Lanka but also to future violations of international law.

You can follow the programme on Twitter using #KillingFields

Sri Lanka's Killing Fields will be shown to MPs and parliamentary officials at a special showing in the House of Commons next week.

If you wish to contact your MP directly on this or any other matter you can go to Theyworkforyou.com (you can click on the link at the left hand side of this page) to find out who your representative is and how to contact them.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Sri Lanka
• Army
• LTTE
• War

[Flowerkanthi]

Congratulations! Now what about doing a similar video on NATO in Libya and 'accidental' bombings of civilians, and on how the US invaded and messed up Iraq and Saddam Hussein with no evidence of weapons of mass destruction. The rape of ancient treasures of that country too by the US? We would love to see that. Also, US drone attacks on Pakistani civilians? Surely you can do that. Or will no one fund you to do so?

Justicia

[nalinutubeful]

now war is done and some countries need to sell there weapons :D lol that why they are gonna sit behind to the terrorist

[DgurlSunshine]

NOT IN MY NAME

[s08033]

wrone channel 4 produce videos

[nalakarkk]

wow nice try again from C4. nobody given any video of Arantalawa blast kabatigolawa blast or any other blast which was done by LTTE.. who was killed by those attack was not military people. all innocent civilians. that time no document came out from this F**King C4. by the way nobody ll record anything when u see the some shelling over u'r head. this is really drama. and some videos not from the final war. it was really old time videos when sl army captured LTTE camp. all fake

[kasun51071]

what about channel 4,it's channel work for ltte like obama,brown.the people in afgan,libya,iraq killed by western countries there are no investigations.everyones heart evidence know what is the truth.so we not worry about that,

[Sarj22]

no matter how much the SL government is trying to hide the evidence... everyone knows what there doing to the tamils of sri lanka.

[shanakarat]

Y didnt they leave this killing zone so early,,,,what made them to stay till last last day last minute last second,,,, civilians had enough time to leave killing zones..thre were so many annoncemnts frm the Gvt to flee from KILLING ZONES,,,,they thought Prabhakaran will put down Sri lankan flag,,,AND THEY CIVILIANS WERE LOOKING FOR THE VICTORY OF PRABHAKARAN... they didnt beleive SL gvt.....