Teacher fights to clear his name of Tamil Tigers terror record
A SRI LANKAN teacher at a Dublin school who was convicted of the procurement of arms and a ship for Tamil Tiger militants has vowed to clear his name, saying his confession to terror offences were made following torture.
Gunasundaram Jeyasundaram teaches maths to secondary school students at Hartstown Community College in Dublin 15.
He is currently in the process of attempting to have his conviction for terror offences quashed on the basis of human rights violations.
The Sri Lankan Defence
Ministry stated in 2013 that Mr Jeyasundaram had pleaded guilty to the procurement of weapons and a ship for the Tamil Tigers.
The Defence Ministry also said that he “renounced terrorism” and “expressed a willingness to undergo rehabilitation”.
Mr Jeyasundaram was released from custody in Sri Lanka in 2014, having been detained since 2007, and he returned to Ireland.
In a statement to this newspaper, the Sri Lankan teacher’s solicitor said Mr Jeyasundaram made his confession as a result of torture.
“He was released in 2014 after signing a document which was done under huge duress,” Darragh Mackin said.
“It is our client’s position that this confession was obtained as a result of torture.
“After arriving in Ireland, our client had to undergo specialised counselling for torture and PTSD as a result of his treatment at the hands of the Sri Lankan state.
“The Sri Lankan legal system did not afford our client, and many other Tamils, basic human rights protections to which they are entitled under international law.
“As such, our client has now instructed us to initiate a challenge to quash the conviction given the flagrant breaches of international law through his unlawful detention and torture with the one objective of obtaining a confession.”
The Sri Lankan Defence Ministry claimed Mr Jeyasundaram had contacts with a terrorist leader from his school days and procured weapons and a ship for “the terrorist outfit”.
However, Mr Jeyasundaram’s solicitor said his client’s detention was politically motivated.
“Our client is of Tamil origin. He firmly believes that his arrest and subsequent detention was politically motivated as a result of his Tamil origins and the humanitarian work he, and his family, conducted in the region,” he said.
Mr Mackin pointed to communication from the UN in 2007 and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights the following year, expressing concerns at Mr Jeyasundaram’s detention in Sri Lanka.
“Obtaining a false confession through torture is a flagrant breach of international law and our client’s fundamental rights,” he said.
“As such, he intends to pursue all legal remedies available to him to obtain justice and accountability.
“Upon taking up home in
Ireland, our client has successfully completed a professional diploma in education from Marino Institute of Education, TCD and a postgraduate certificate in entrepreneurship from TCD.
“He was approved by the Irish Teaching Council and has been vetted by An Garda Síochána to teach in the secondary and further education sector.
“He now looks forward to urgently correcting the record through the various international legal mechanisms available to him,” he said.
The principal of Hartstown Community College declined to comment.