Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam Salutes Antonio Cassese
/EINPresswire.com/It is with great sorrow that the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) marks the passing of Antonio Cassese. He was a great scholar of Public International Law who devoted much of his work to the revival of international criminal law in modern times. His contribution to this area is of great significance to the present conditions of Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka..
Much of his work was focused on internal wars as opposed to international wars. His work confirmed that there is as much a body of international norms protecting both combatants and civilians in times of internal wars as in times of international wars. But, more than in his academic writings, he asserted these principles in real terms while serving as a judge of international criminal tribunals.
He was the first President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia from 1993 to 1997. The work of the tribunal is of immense significance in the development of the law concerning atrocities committed during national conflicts. The Tribunal was responsible for the trial of the ethnic chauvinist, Milosovic as well as his commanders and set important precedents as to responsibility for atrocities committed during such wars.
Another significant work of relevance to Eelam Tamils is that he was Chairman of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur which inquired into the human rights violations and war crimes committed in Dafur. The Committee issued its Report to the UN Secretary General.
The Report was of the same standing as the Report of the UN Secretary General’s Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka. The International Commission recommended the United Nations Security Council use its referral power under the Rome Statute to refer the Darfur case to the International Criminal Court.
Another significant is the view that Professor Cassese took that an army can commit war crimes even in the absence of a war time situation if it oppresses a people whose territory it occupies. It is a principle of direct application to the current situation in the island of Sri Lanka. Currently, the Sinhalese army is occupying the Eelam Tamil homeland where there have been numerous credible claims of violations of international law.
The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam salutes the work of this great scholar and his concern for the suffering people of the world. His works on human rights and international criminal law have helped to make the world a better place.
Contact: Mr. Jay Jeyalingam: (646)363-6418 or jjeyalingam@gmail.com
Mr. Jey Jeyalingam is a Member of Parliament, Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam and Spokesperson of the Prime Minister’s Office:
