LUXEMBOURG: A European Union court on Thursday canceled anti-terrorism sanctions imposed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by the EU leaders in 2006.
However, it said that the assets of the banned Sri Lankan group should remain frozen temporarily.
In a statement, the Court of Justice of the EU said that the EU leaders’ decision in 2006 to place the LTTE on a list of terrorist organisation had been based on “imputations derived from the press and the Internet” rather than on direct investigation of the group’s actions, as required by law.
The court observed that the “Indian authorities cannot be regarded as a reliable source of information since they have adopted a ‘biased position’ in the conflict between the LTTE and the Government of Sri-Lanka.”
However, the court rejected the LTTE’s contention that it was exempt from EU anti-terrorism legislation because it was engaged in an “armed conflict” with the Sri Lankan government and bound by the laws of war.
The court said that EU laws on terrorism also applied to armed conflicts.
