Amnesty International India-Sri Lankan war documentary

The Indian censor board’s decision to refuse certification to documentary film 'No Fire Zone' for a theatre release is an attack on freedom of speech and freedom of information in India. It also hurts the movement within India to push for an independent and international investigation into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka’s 2009 war. This ban will prevent a large number of Indians from learning about the serious allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity that have been leveled against Sri Lankan troops and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

The ban on public screening of No Fire Zone comes as a surprise as the film has been previously screened in India and stories of excesses uncovered by it led to major outrage here that forced a response from Indian leaders. India risks undoing some of the great work it has done to support a just reconciliation process in Sri Lanka including what the Indian envoy to the UN Human Rights Council said was the need for a "credible investigation which is to the liking of the international community".

Is this a move to gag public movements in solidarity with victims of the 2009 war? Amnesty International India calls on the film board and Government of India to swiftly remove the ban on No Fire Zone and assure everyone of its commitment to basic political freedoms in the country.

#SriLanka #FreedomOfSpeech #India #NoFireZone

Amnesty urges India to revoke ban on Sri Lankan war documentary

ANITA JOSHUA-NEW DELHI, February 24, 2014

‘’The documentary may also strain friendly relations with Sri Lanka,’’ noted the Central Board of Film Certification.

Amnesty International India on Monday urged the Central Board of Film Certification and the Government to ``swiftly remove the ban’’ on the film `No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka’ – a documentary on the last phase of the war between the Sri Lankan forces and the LTTE in early 2009.

Questioning the CBFC decision, Amnesty in a statement said the refusal of certification for the theatre release of the film was an attack on the freedom of speech and information in India. ``It also hurts the movement within India to push for an independent and international investigation into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka’s 2009 war.’’

Of the view that the special screening of the film in India last year had helped mobilise opinion enough to force a ``response from Indian leaders’’, Amnesty added that this ban would prevent a larger Indian audience from learning about the serious allegations of war crimes levelled against Sri Lankan troops and the LTTE.

Also, according to Amnesty, India ``risks undoing some of the great work it has done to support a just reconciliation process in Sri Lanka,’’ including the advocacy of a credible investigation that is to the satisfaction of the international community.

The Board had refused to certify the film for theatre release on the grounds that most of the visuals were of a ``disturbing nature’’ and not fit for public exhibition. ``The documentary may also strain friendly relations with Sri Lanka,’’ the Board noted.