Annual Report 2021

2021 was a seminal year in PEARL’s history. In September 2021,Archana assumed the Executive Director role from Tasha, 17 years afterPEARL’s founding. The transition was an important milestone in thegrowth and sustainability of the organization. PEARL has built a strongfoundation of dedicated and incisive advocacy, research, and legalexpertise under Tasha’s leadership, and we are looking forward tostrengthening and expanding our work with Archana at the helm.

 

Despite the challenges of the global pandemic, working with a primarilyremote team located all across the globe, and undertakingorganizational transitions, PEARL was still able to do incredible work thisyear to advocate for justice and accountability for past and ongoingcrimes and human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

 

This year, PEARL helped support a US congressional hearing on SriLanka; conducted a high level briefing for Canadian parliamentarians onissues of accountability; successfully advocated for the Police Serviceof Scotland to stop training Sri Lankan police, and successfullyadvocated for sanctions of key Sri Lankan perpetrators.

 

We also used the transition period with the new Executive Director toundertake a monitoring and review of our Strategic Plan, and ofPEARL’s internal structure and priorities as we respond to adeteriorating human rights situation in Sri Lanka. We are excited aboutincreasing our efficiency and cohesiveness as a global team, and inrenewing our commitments and policy focus on the key issues thatmatter most to our people.

 

We are looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that lieahead, and are as always dedicated to promoting justice, accountabilityand self-determination for Tamils.

 

In solidarity,

Archana Ravichandradeva

Tasha Manoranjan