‘Gotabaya Rajapaksa is coming to your city,’ warns advert in Scottish national paper

 

26 October 2021

A full page advert in this morning’s The Herald warns the people of Scotland that Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who stands credibly accused of war crimes and genocide, will be coming to Glasgow next week.

The advert, as part of a campaign led by Scottish Tamils with the support of other Eelam Tamils from around the world, goes on to state that Rajapaksa, who has been nicknamed “The Terminator”, and the Sri Lankan armed forces are accused of Tamil genocide.

The Herald, which is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world, is one of Scotland’s highest circulating broadsheet newspapers. The campaign is being run in the print edition, as well as on the website. 

“We want to send a message to Rajapaksa and others like him that the people of Scotland will never allow war criminals to step foot in our country,” said Malathy, one of the organisers of the campaign.

“If Rajapaksa chooses to come here, he should be prepared to face the full force of our campaign for justice, accountability and legal action.”

Protests have been planned in Glasgow next week, as Rajapaksa travels to the United Kingdom for the first time since taking office to attend the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26. 

Rajapaksa previously served as Sri Lanka’s defence secretary and oversaw a military campaign that saw hospitals shelled and tens of thousands of Tamils killed. He has repeatedly vowed not to prosecute those accused of war crimes, which includes senior military generals and his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is currently Sri Lanka’s prime minister.

“Our fight for justice will never stop until every single Sri Lankan war criminal is held accountable and our people finally have justice, freedom and liberation,” added Malathy.

See the full advert below.

Related Articles: 

16 October 2021 : Protests expected as Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa plans to attend COP26