In a statement marking 15 years since the Tamil genocide, People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) said that "Tamil resistance cannot be broken" as the Tamil nation remain "steadfast for their legitimate political rights."
The US based advocacy organisation highlighted the failure of the international community in stopping the massacre at Mullivaikkal in 2009. Tamils across the diaspora called on the international community to intervene to block Sri Lanka's genocidal offensive. Mass protests took place across the major cities around the world, demanding a permanent ceasefire.
"The failures of the international community to halt the mass killing of Tamils, as well as the complicity of international actors supporting the Sri Lankan state, even at the height of the war in 2009, contributed to the atrocities going unchecked," the statement said.
For the last 15 years, Tamils have been consistently calling for international accountability for Sri Lanka's atrocity crimes. However, the organisation highlights that since Sri Lanka's economic crisis, it has benefitted from "positive engagement and bilateral support, while evading international accountability."
"Sri Lanka’s denial of its crimes, combined with the lack of political will in the international arena to hold Sri Lanka accountable, has created a dangerous precedent for impunity all around the globe," PEARL said.
"Today’s political landscape has shown that Tamil resistance cannot be broken. On the contrary, in the years since Mullivaikkal, Tamils have shown how effectively they have reorganized themselves and advanced Tamil demands at all levels of politics," they added.
Read the full statement here.
