JDS

Thursday, January 31, 2008

READ THE JDS URGENT ALERTS!

Posted by JDS

November 23, 2010 :
URGENT ALERT (UPDATE) : No confirmed information on arrested journalist

November 19, 2010 :
URGENT ALERT: A Tamil journalist arrested at the Colombo Airport!

January 30, 2010 :
URGENT ALERT: CID SEALS "LANKA IRIDA"! / Court Revoked Seal - 01.02.2010

January 30, 2010 :
URGENT ALERT: CID RAIDS ARRESTED JOURNALIST'S RESIDENCE

January 29, 2010 :
URGENT ALERT: "IRIDA LANKA" EDITOR ARRESTED! / Released - 16.02.2010

January 29, 2010 :
URGENT ALERT: "LANKA E NEWS" OFFICE SEALED!

January 29, 2010 :
URGENT ALERT: NO TRACE OF MISSING JOURNALIST

October 17, 2009 :
URGENT ALERT: "LANKA" EDITOR ARRESTED / Released - 18.10.2009

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

News

Posted by JDS

This page is still under construction.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Publications

Posted by JDS

JDS Monthly Bulletin - October 2009

JDS Monthly Bulletin - September 2009

JDS Monthly Bulletin - August 2009

JDS Monthly Bulletin - July 2009

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Mission

Posted by JDS

This page is still under construction.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

SRI LANKA: The Police `forced` a mentally retarded man to drown in Colombo

Posted by JDS

Click on photos to enlarge

A man was forced to drown in Bambalapitiyam Colombo on 30th October in front of several onlookers.

The victim was believed to be mentally retarded and used to throw stones towards trains and vehicles passing by, according to the Police spokesman.

The victim, Balawarnam Sivakumar, an ethnic Tamil from Ratmalana, had reportedly thrown stones towards the Bambalapitiya police before jumping into the sea. The shocking television footage taken by a cameraman from his television office showed policemen attempting to beat the victim using sticks and preventing him from coming ashore resulting in his death by drowning.

The body of Balawarnam Sivakumar was washed ashore near the Kollupitiya Railway station at around noon on 30th October. His body had been identified by his elder brother Balawarnam Kadirgamanathan (32).

Related Links:
Crowd watch as police beat man to death
Three more cops wanted over B’balapitiya attack
Political parties and human rights organisations protest
" I saw the body of the victim floating in the water" - TNL Assistant News Editor

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Contact Us

Posted by JDS

Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka

Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) is an action group of journalists, writers, artists and human rights defenders in exile who are campaigning for democracy, human rights and media freedom in Sri Lanka.

We are always pleased to receive comments about this site and our work. If you need to contact JDS, just fill in the form below and 'click' send.

Thank you for visiting our web site.

Monday, January 07, 2008

Independent experts who assisted the UN investigation

Posted by JDS

Peter Diaczuk - Firearms Evidence Expert

Peter Diaczuk is the Director of Forensic Science Training, Center for Modern Forensic Practice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Apart from working as a Range Officer and Certified Firearms Instructor Mr.Diaczuk has been active in several professional organizations, including: New York Microscopical Society (Life member, Fellow and current President), Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists (member and Board of Directors), American Society of Testing and Materials (E30 Committee on Forensic Science, E30.01 Subcommittee on Criminalistics), American Board of Criminalistics (Diplomate), the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (Full Member of the Criminalistics Section), and member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

His research performed includes survivability of fingerprints on firearms under water, differentiating entry from exit bullet holes in garments, deposition of blood spatter from gunshot wounds, catastrophic failure of ammunition from exposure to heat from a fire scene, retinal damage due to plastic (air soft) pellet impact with the cornea, analysis of bullet ricochet from yielding and non-yielding surfaces, comparison of evidence packaging methods, evaluation of Kevlar fibers as a bullet recovery medium and its effect on the survivability of stria, comparison of water tank, elastomer spheres, soap cubes, wax cubes and polymer sheets for bullet recovery, comparison of gunshot residue retention values on synthetic fibers as a function of melting point, determination of explosive precursors by polarized light microscopy, optical characteristics of an improvised explosive, and analysis of containment vessels used for chemical reaction bombs.

Mr.Diaczuk, received Jerome Metzner Graduate Award in Forensic Science for excellence in forensic microtechniques, John Jay College, 2003. Has been on panel discussions, given over 50 presentations on forensic science topics, and has conducted five workshops on scientific firearm and toolmark examination.

He is qualified as expert witness on firearms, trace evidence, and crime scene reconstruction for courts in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

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Dr. Daniel Spitz - Forensic Pathologist

Dr. Daniel Spitz is the chief Medical Examiner of the Macomb and St. Clair County Medical Examiner Departments in Michigan. He is also an Assistant Professor of pathology at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit.

Dr. Spitz received his forensic pathology training at the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Department in Miami, Florida and is certified by the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic, Clinical and Forensic Pathology. He is author of numerous scientific articles and book chapters and is the editor of two books: Differential Diagnosis in Surgical Pathology and the 4th Education of Medicolegal Investigation of Death.

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Jeff S. Spivack - Forensic Video Analyst

Jeff Spivack is a Forensic Multimedia Analyst currently in private practice, formerly serving in that capacity with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD). During his tenure with LVMPD, Mr.Spivack secured video and audio recordings from crime scenes and processed the recordings in Metro's laboratory to obtain investigative leads and court admissible evidence in cases including, but not limited to burglary, armed robbery, sexual assault, and homicide. Both with Metro and in private practice, he has been accepted on numerous occasions as an expert witness and has testified in that capacity before grand juries, at depositions, and at trial. Combining technical/scientific experience acquired as a calibration laboratory specialist for the US Air Force with extensive investigative experience, he holds an AAS in Electronic Systems Technology.

In addition to providing forensic video and audio analysis services, Mr. Spivack provides training upon request to law enforcement agencies, and serves as a beta tester and authorized technical representative for Cognitech, Inc. forensic video analysis software products. Mr. Spivack is a member of the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute, is designated by that organization as a Certified Forensic Consultant, and has been qualified as an expert witness on the subject of forensic video analysis in courts throughout the United States in both civil and criminal proceedings.

His other professional affiliations include the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and Evidence Photographers International Counsel.