Krishanti Kumaraswamy
Encyclopedia
Krishanti Kumaraswamy, also spelled Krishanthi Kumaraswamy, was a minority Tamil girl in Sri Lanka
who was raped and murdered in 7 August 1996 by 6 Sri Lankan Army
soldiers; the effort to bring her assailants to justice became a cause celebre
as a part of the protest against atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan Army during the Sri Lanka
civil war.
examination which equivalent to grade 12 in many countries at Chundikuli Girls High School. She was last seen alive at 11.30 am at Kaithady
Army checkpoint in Jaffna
.
Her mother Rassammah, brother Pranavan (Age 16), and family friend Mr. Kirupakaran (Age 35) became concerned and went in search of Krishanthy. They were also murdered.
According to pro-rebel Tamilnet
Forty five days later, the bodies of the four were later found in shallow graves within the army base. A three quarter width rope was found tied round the neck of mother Rassammah’s corpse. Mr Kirupakaran too appeared to have been strangled in the same manner since the rope was wound tightly round his body. The bodies of Krishanthy and her brother Pranavan were cut in several pieces and haphazardly wrapped in black colored sheets.
Later investigations revealed that she was abducted by five soldiers and another six gang raped and killed her at the checkpoint.
and other human rights organizations like Women for Peace launched a sustained campaign to pressure the Sri Lankan government to arrest and prosecute the soldiers. Six soldiers who were directly involved in the raping were sentenced to death by the court of the government of Sri Lanka.
In the court case about her rape and murder one of the accused informed the state about an alleged mass grave known as Chemmani mass graves that was investigated to contain 15 bodies.
, a local activist who worked to expose her case was killed by unknown gunmen on February 1, 2007.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
who was raped and murdered in 7 August 1996 by 6 Sri Lankan Army
Sri Lankan Army
The Sri Lanka Army is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is responsible for land-based military and humanitarian operations. Established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, it was renamed when Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972...
soldiers; the effort to bring her assailants to justice became a cause celebre
Cause célèbre
A is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning and heated public debate. The term is particularly used in connection with celebrated legal cases. It is a French phrase in common English use...
as a part of the protest against atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan Army during the Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
civil war.
Incident
On August 7, 1996 Krishanthy Kumaraswamy went missing on her way home after sitting her GCE Advanced LevelGeneral Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
examination which equivalent to grade 12 in many countries at Chundikuli Girls High School. She was last seen alive at 11.30 am at Kaithady
Kaithady
Kaithady is a small village in the northern district of Jaffna in Sri Lanka, with a population of nearly 10,000. There are more than five primary schools and three secondary schools...
Army checkpoint in Jaffna
Jaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
.
Her mother Rassammah, brother Pranavan (Age 16), and family friend Mr. Kirupakaran (Age 35) became concerned and went in search of Krishanthy. They were also murdered.
According to pro-rebel Tamilnet
Tamilnet
TamilNet is a news website that provides news and feature articles on current affairs in Sri Lanka, specifically related to the erstwhile Sri Lankan Civil War...
Forty five days later, the bodies of the four were later found in shallow graves within the army base. A three quarter width rope was found tied round the neck of mother Rassammah’s corpse. Mr Kirupakaran too appeared to have been strangled in the same manner since the rope was wound tightly round his body. The bodies of Krishanthy and her brother Pranavan were cut in several pieces and haphazardly wrapped in black colored sheets.
Later investigations revealed that she was abducted by five soldiers and another six gang raped and killed her at the checkpoint.
Government investigation
Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and other human rights organizations like Women for Peace launched a sustained campaign to pressure the Sri Lankan government to arrest and prosecute the soldiers. Six soldiers who were directly involved in the raping were sentenced to death by the court of the government of Sri Lanka.
In the court case about her rape and murder one of the accused informed the state about an alleged mass grave known as Chemmani mass graves that was investigated to contain 15 bodies.
Related to incident
According to pro-rebel TamilnetTamilnet
TamilNet is a news website that provides news and feature articles on current affairs in Sri Lanka, specifically related to the erstwhile Sri Lankan Civil War...
, a local activist who worked to expose her case was killed by unknown gunmen on February 1, 2007.
See also
- Arumaithurai TharmaletchumiArumaithurai TharmaletchumiArumaithurai Tharmaletchumi was a minority Sri Lankan Tamil woman aged 17 who was raped and killed in Kumarapuram in Trincomalee on 16 December 16 2005, and who became a cause celebre of the Sri Lankan civil war because of this.-The incident:...
- Ida CarmelittaIda CarmelittaIda Carmelitta or Farheen Ida Carmelitta Laila Figerardo was a minority Sri Lankan Tamil woman who was gang raped and killed on 12 July 1999 and became a cause célèbre of the Sri Lankan civil war.-Incident:...
- Ilayathambi TharsiniIlayathambi TharsiniIlayathamby Tharsini also Tharsini Ilayathamby was a minority Sri Lankan Tamil woman who was raped and killed in her home town of Pungudutheevu on December 16, 2005.-The incident:...
- Mary Madeleine
- Murugesapillai KoneswaryMurugesapillai KoneswaryMurugesapillai Koneswary or Koneswary Murugesapillai was a minority Sri Lankan Tamil woman who was raped and killed on 17 May 1997 as part of the ongoing Sri Lankan civil war. The rape and murder received extensive local and international attention....
- Premawathi Manamperi
- Premini ThanuskodiPremini ThanuskodiPremini Thanuskodi was a minority Sri Lankan Tamil women who was working as a Chief Accountant for TRO, a legally registered charity in Sri Lanka , when she was kidnapped on June 30 2006 and was later raped and murdered. She was 25 years old...
- SarathambalSarathambalSarathambal Saravanbavananthatkurukal or better known as Sarathambal was a minority Sri Lankan Tamil woman who was gang raped and killed on 28 December 1999. This became an internationally known incident of the Sri Lankan Civil War.-Incident:...
- Thambipillai ThanalakshmiThambipillai ThanalakshmiThambipillai Thanalakshmi is a minority Sri Lankan Tamil woman who was 43 when she was raped in Meesalai in Jaffna in Sri Lanka on July 7, 2001. Amnesty International claimed that the Sri Lankan Army soldiers were the culprit.-Incident:...