The UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc- Andre Franche, said there is a "critical need to establish the truth" and provide justice to victims of enforced disappearances, in a statement marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc- Andre Franche, said there is a "critical need to establish the truth" and provide justice to victims of enforced disappearances, in a statement marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
Franche highlighted that thousands of families are waiting to know the fate of their loved ones who were forcibly disappeared by the Sri Lankan state and stated "that much remains to be done to ensure victims’ right to truth, justice, and reparations."
He called on the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) to fully utilise its borad legal powers to "prioritise tracing" of those who were forcibly disappeared. Although the OMP was established eight years ago, it has not successfully traced one disappeared person. Tamil families of the disappeared have repeatedly rejected the office and deemed it an "ineffective mechanism".
Franche who was also a witness to the exhumation of the mass grave in Kokkuthoduvai, said he hoped investigations would be expedited to help provide some answers to the families of the disappeared.
"Swift progress in the Mullaitivu case would help establish confidence and build momentum that may prove helpful in other instances." Franche visited the mass grave following the 15th anniversary of the Mullivaikkal genocide and accompanied the families of the disappeared along with their lawyers to the mass grave site.
Franche also noted that Tamil families of the disappeared and human rights defenders have been subjected to threats, intimidation and stigmatisation in their pursuit for justice. He called on the authorities to "do more to ensure those seeking justice are not targeted for their legitimate advocacy."
On August 30, Tamil families of the disappeared rallied across the North-East to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Families of the disappeared were reaffirming their calls for an internationally led investigation into enforced disappearances, as successive Sri Lankan governments have failed to address their demands.
