The UK’s Channel 4 will show “some of the most horrific footage [they] has ever broadcast”. The footage will form part of an hour long documentary, “the killing fields” which will look into the last few weeks of the war in Sri Lanka, and some of the horrific allegations of war crimes that were committed on both sides. Afterwards the documentary will be available via 40D to viewers anywhere in the world.
It will be a difficult program for many people to watch, but it is important that as many people as possible see it and understand what took place in those weeks in May 2009. It is also important that people understand that, whilst both this footage and the recent UN Panel of Experts report show that there are credible allegations that both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE committed serious war crimes, there has been no serious attempt to bring the criminals on either side to justice – or even to fully investigate what happened.
The Government of Sri Lanka insists that the footage is fake: in the days following the documentary they, and their apologists, will no doubt be flooding the internet attempts to discredit it. But in fact it is genuine, in all its horror: 5 forensic experts commissioned by the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights have testified that they believe the footage to be authentic. These include the acknowledged leaders in the field of video forensics: Grant Fredericks and Jeff Spivack.
Here are three things that you can do.
1 Tell your friends and family about the documentary, and forward the link once it is available online. Tell people about it via facebook, twitter, and any other tools you have. The hashtag #killingfields will be used on twitter to discuss the documentary. Attached to this email you will find a banner advert which you can put as your facebook or twitter profile to advertise the event.
2 Tell your friends and family that if they want to do something about the situation in Sri Lanka, and if the documentary stirs them into action, then they should go to our website and sign our petition at http://www.srilankacampaign.org/takeaction.htm. Talk to people who are talking about the documentary on blogs and social media about the petition, and send them the link.
3. Tell other people who are talking about the documentary on blogs and social media about the petition, and send them the link.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/sri-lankas-killing-fields/4od
Aching for Everything 