Undated picture given by Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence shows LTTE leader Prabhakaran playing with his son
The footage of the brutal execution of slain LTTE leader Prabhakaran’s son will be aired on Britain’s Channel 4 on Wednesday. REUTERS/Handout

Footage of the brutal execution of slain LTTE leader Prabhakaran's son will be aired on Britain's Channel 4 on 14 March.

The video was obtained by the channel in May 2009 and was screened at FIFDH, the International Film Festival on Human Rights, in Geneva with the title "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: War Crimes" on Sunday. The chilling video footage shows the brutal execution of 12-year-old Balachandran, the LTTE leader's son.

The footage, which is believed to be a "trophy video" shot by Sri Lankan troops when they executed Prabhakaran's family, will be aired for the first time on Channel 4 on Wednesday (14 March) night.

Reporting on the video in the Independent, Callum Macrae, the film's director, described how brutally Balachandran was killed. He said the boy was stripped to the waist and had five bullet holes in his chest. While his body was lying on the ground, beside him were the bodies of five men, who were believed to be his bodyguards.

He added that that the video gave evidence suggesting that the Sri Lankan government forces had a policy of executing many surrendering or captured LTTE fighters and leading figures, even if they were children.

Professor Derrick Pounder, forensic pathologist, who analysed the video said that it was possible that the boy might have been made to watch the execution of the five guards before being shot, reported the Independent.

The Sri Lankan government has been under criticism for war crimes after several civilians were killed in "No Fire Zones" like hospitals, in the conflict between the Sri Lankan army and the LTTE. According to Independent reports, a panel of experts set up by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last year revealed that at least 40,000 people were killed, most of them in "No Fire Zone areas."

The Lankan High commission in London has said that the latest footage is "highly spurious and uncorroborated allegations", adding that the film had "chosen to ignore the many positive post-conflict developments now taking place in the country".

Human rights London