Thread by @francesharris0n

As we come up to UN #victimsoftorture day (26 June) let's recall the #srilanka security forces' 'White Vans' (synonymous with abduction & #torture - & sometimes disappearance) date back to the JVP era. They don't really stop & start, depending on the government in power - alas.

In 1989 an .@amnesty report said "in a typical case, plainclothes armed men arrived at the victims' home at night, travelling in Pajero keeps or Hiace vans...usually they gave no explanation for taking away the victim..."

amnesty.org/download/Docum…

@amnesty President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in 2019: "May be our intelligence agencies used Hi Ace vans which are white. I did not introduce it. It happened under all the previous Governments".

#whitevans

dailymirror.lk/article/How-ca…

@amnesty In 2012 the President (then defence secy) reportedly said it was 'only criminals' that were 'white vanned'.

srilankabrief.org/only-criminals…

@amnesty facebook.com/watch/?v=15602…

In 2016 Gotabaya Rajapaksa also spoke of #whitevans at a Viyathmaga meeting (translation): “white vans were there all the time. Not only white, there were black vans, green vans… in 86, 87 there were Morris Minors as well, which lifted people."

@amnesty “I served in the military for 20 years. Most of those 20 years I served under the UNP gov. Those who lived during that period know how those ‘gonibillo’ (masked abducters)…In what vehicles did the ‘gonibillo’ travel? In white vehicles or black vehicles".

@amnesty This is the 2015 OISL report (.@UNHumanRights) on #lka with a section entitled 'Modus operandi of the security forces: the “white van” arrests'.

@amnesty @UNHumanRights Then in 2016 the UN Committee Against Torture said there were credible reports of #whitevan abductions post war in #srilanka.

@amnesty @UNHumanRights In 2017 OHCHR (via .@reuters) said it received credible information from a well-known human rights organization according to which ‘#whitevan’ abductions, and torture and sexual violence, by the #SriLankan security forces persisted". reuters.com/article/us-sri…

@amnesty @UNHumanRights @Reuters IN 2018 .@UNHumanRights @mbachelet report to @UN_HRC said: "The High Commissioner was deeply concerned over serious allegations in foreign media about ongoing ABDUCTIONS, extreme torture and sexual violence, as recently as in 2016 and 2017."

documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/… §44

@amnesty @UNHumanRights @Reuters @mbachelet @UN_HRC In 2019, OHCHR had investigated further & reported on reasonable grounds to think abduction by #lka security forces was still going on under the so called 'good governance' government: §56
documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/…

@amnesty @UNHumanRights @Reuters @mbachelet @UN_HRC In 2021 .@mbachelet said "credible allegations through well-known human rights organizations of abductions, torture & sexual violence by #SriLankan security forces since the adoption of resolution 30/1, including in the past year". {link at bottom of ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/…}

@amnesty @UNHumanRights @Reuters @mbachelet @UN_HRC & not just UN but from the mouths of the #whitevan operators themselves via .@itjpsl

itjpsl.com/assets/stoptor…

@amnesty @UNHumanRights @Reuters @mbachelet @UN_HRC @itjpsl & not just the north-east:

itjpsl.com/assets/stoptor…

.@itjpsl

@amnesty @UNHumanRights @Reuters @mbachelet @UN_HRC @itjpsl This #whitevan abduction of a #tamil was one of many that occured in 2015, via @itjpsl {Page 36} itjpsl.com/assets/stoptor…

@amnesty @UNHumanRights @Reuters @mbachelet @UN_HRC @itjpsl itjpsl.com/assets/Silence…

This .@itjpsl report in 2016 about ongoing #whitevan abduction & #torture along with @FreefromTorture's @SonyaSceats were cited in this @guardian story - theguardian.com/world/2016/jan…

@amnesty @UNHumanRights @Reuters @mbachelet @UN_HRC @itjpsl @FreefromTorture @SonyaSceats @guardian here the 2016 story theguardian.com/world/2016/jan…

@amnesty @UNHumanRights @Reuters @mbachelet @UN_HRC @itjpsl @FreefromTorture @SonyaSceats @guardian Last but not least the victims:

"a white van came and I was pushed into the van – in the space in the middle of the seats – so that I was lying face down in the van".
(2015)
from itjpsl.com/assets/ITJP_un…

@amnesty @UNHumanRights @Reuters @mbachelet @UN_HRC @itjpsl @FreefromTorture @SonyaSceats @guardian @threadreaderapp unroll

Correction - not abductors but masked informers