of threats and actions, including the use of white vans to abduct and to make people disappear. The Sri Lankan military shelled on a large scale the three Safe Zones where it had encouraged the civilian population to concentrate. It did this even after saying it would cease using heavy weapons. The Sri Lankan military shelled the UN hub, food distribution lines and Red Cross ships coming to rescue the wounded and their relatives. It did this despite having intelligence as well as notifications by the UN, Red Cross and others. Most of the civilian casualties were caused by Sri Lankan military shelling. The Sri Lankan military systematically shelled hospitals on the frontlines. All hospitals in the Vanni were hit by mortars and artillery, sometimes repeatedly, despite the Sri Lankan military knowing their locations. The Sri Lankan government systematically deprived civilians in the conflict zone of humanitarian aid, in the form of food and medical supplies, adding to their suffering. The government deliberately underestimated the number of civilians in order to deprive them of humanitarian aid. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed between January and May 2009. Many died anonymously in the final days. The Sri Lankan government subjected the civilians who managed to escape the conflict zone to further deprivation and suffering. Screening for Tamil Tigers took place without any transparency or external scrutiny. Some of those separated by the screening were summarily executed whilst women were raped. Others simply disappeared. All IDPs were detained in closed overcrowded camps where they were deprived of their basic rights. The conditions in the camps resulted in many unnecessary deaths. There were interrogations and torture in the camps. Suspected Tamil Tigers were taken to other facilities where they faced further abuse. In regard to the crimes of the Tamil Tigers: The Tamil Tigers kept hostage 330,000 civilians who were fleeing the shelling and trapped in an ever-decreasing area. The Tamil Tigers refused to allow civilians to leave the conflict zone and kept them as hostages. The civilians were sometimes used as human shields. The Tamil Tigers forcibly recruited members during the whole of the civil war but this intensified during the final stages of the war. Some of the recruits were young as 14. The Tamil Tigers forced civilians to dig trenches, risking making them look like combatants. The Tamil Tigers kept on fighting even when it became clear they had