Tamil families of the disappeared protested in Jaffna earlier today as they continue to seek answers on the fate of their relatives who were forcibly disappeared by Sri Lanka’s security forces.
“Where are they? Where are the families that surrendered to the Sri Lankan military? Where are all the people who were taken for investigation by Sri Lanka’s security forces?” the families asked as they gathered in Jaffna.
Tamil families have been protesting across the North-East since 2017 in a bid to find the truth about their loved ones, many of whom were forcibly disappeared when they surrendered to the Sri Lankan military at the end of the armed conflict in May 2009.
Despite their longstanding protests, successive Sri Lankan governments have failed to take meaningful action address their demands.
Current Sri Lankan president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has claimed that the controversial Commission for Truth, Unity and Reconciliation will investigate enforced disappearances. Since being elected as president, Wickremesinghe has not met with any of the Tamil families of the disappeared. Many families report that they have been subjected to harassment and surveillance by Sri Lanka's security forces for engaging in protests.
Tamil families have repeatedly expressed their lack of confidence and frustration of domestic mechanisms. In 2016, the then Sri Lankan government established the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) but this mechanism has failed to address any of the families’ grievances.
As justice and accountability continues to be delayed by Sri Lanka, Tamil families have been appealing to the international community to establish an independent mechanism to investigate the disappearances.
