During the
Sri Lankan Civil War militant groups, paramilitary groups and government security forces were accused of
assassinating
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
many
public figures on suspicion of being sympathizers or informants, in retaliation for killings and attacks, to eliminate competition from rival groups, or to stifle dissent. The following is a list of notable assassinations of the Sri Lankan Civil War, attributed by various self-admissions,
NGOs,
United Nations agencies, foreign governments, and the state-owned media of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
Background
The
Sri Lankan Civil War was in a conflict on the
island-nation of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. Between 1983 and 2009 there was an intermittent
civil war, predominantly between the
government and the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...
(LTTE), a
separatist
Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seeking greate ...
militant organisation who during this time fought for the creation of an
independent state named
Tamil Eelam in the
North and
East of the island. The
UN has estimated that up to 100,000 people (combatants and civilians) may have been killed during the 26 years of fighting.
The civil war has caused significant harm to the population and
economy of the country, as well as leading to the ban of the LTTE as a
terrorist organisation in 32 countries including the
United States,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, the countries of the
European Union and
Canada. The war ended in May 2009 when the Sri Lankan military defeated the LTTE. Numerous
human rights violations have been committed by both the Sri Lankan military and the LTTE, including the assassination of individuals by both sides. A majority of the notable figures on this list were members of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka, and in many instances were allegedly assassinated by the LTTE for taking moderate political stances, or for rejecting militant action and attempting to engage in the democratic process in Sri Lanka.
Assassinations
Heads of state and government
Ministers
Members of Sri Lankan parliament
Provincial councillors
Local councillors
Other politicians
Military officers
Police officers
Civil servants
Journalists
Academics
Religious figures
Militants
Others
Attempted assassinations
Heads of state and government
Ministers
Public officials
Military officers
Diplomats
See also
*
List of assassinations of the Second JVP Insurrection
*
List of attacks attributed to the LTTE
*
List of attacks attributed to the Sri Lankan military
The following is a list of attacks on civilians attributed to armed groups under the control of the Sri Lankan government - Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, state organised mobs and paramilitary groups ( Home Guards/Civil Defence Force, EPDP, PLOT ...
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Assassinations Of The Sri Lankan Civil War
Assassinations of the Sri Lankan Civil war
Assassinations of the Sri Lankan Civil war
Sri Lankan Civil War, Notable assassinations of the
Sri Lankan Civil War, Notable Attempted assassinations of the
Assassinations of the Sri Lankan Civil war
Sri Lankan Civil War-related lists
Sri Lankan Civil War casualties
Assassinations of the Civil War