LTTE activists in Europe have appealed to the European Court of Justice to order the European Union to have the organization taken off the list of terrorist organizations, wire services reported yesterday.
A petition to the Court, through their lawyer, claims that "the LTTE was involved in an armed conflict with the Sri Lankan government from 1987 to 2009 in the pursuit of the right to self-determination for the Tamil population. "
Their attorney Victor Koppe argues that the proscription of the LTTE as a terrorist organization has frustrated the exercise of this right.
The petition adds, "The LTTE was militarily defeated during the final stage of the war in May 2009 and is no longer active in Sri Lanka. It has declared that it will no longer engage in military strategies to further its political goals, thus the organization, as described in the Council Decision, does no longer exist.
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