Four soldiers sentenced to 25 years RI in Jaffna

The Jaffna High Court today sentenced four soldiers into 25 Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) each over a gang rape and sexual abuse incidents in Viswamadhu, Kilinochchi. The incident took place in 2010, shortly after the end of the war at a resettlement camp where the returnees was living. A 27 year old mother of two children was gang raped  and another woman who was residing next to her was sexually abused by the soldiers. The Jaffna High court judge M. Elancheliyan noted in his verdict that the crime committed by the soldiers was “unbearable and unforgivable since the victim’s dignity was damaged by them after the end of the war”. The four military personnels were also ordered to pay Rs 500,000 each to the victim , if they failed to pay an additional two years would be added for the prison term. They were also to pay Rs 25,000 as legal cost and failing which another year would be added. Only three of the suspects were present in the court. The judge ordered to arrest the fourt suspect immediately and remand him.