Press Releases

Photograph: Frank Augstein/AP   (Washington, DC; June 26, 2018): Today, on International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, PEARL expresses our grave concern about the prevalence of ongoing physical and sexual torture of Tamils by Sri Lanka’s security forces. In order to eradicate torture, members of the international community must demand that Sri Lanka…

(Washington, DC; May 18, 2018) Today Eelam Tamils gather in the Tamil homeland and around the globe to commemorate Tamil Genocide Day, remembering not only the tens of thousands killed in the final phase of the armed conflict, but also those lost throughout the struggle against oppression. Despite constant surveillance and intimidation by security forces,…

(May 1, 2018)  Joint Diaspora letter to Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under Secretary General for UN Peacekeeping Operations   We write yet again about the issue of vetting and screening of Sri Lanka peacekeepers. We would like to draw your attention to the deployment of members of Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force for peacekeeping. These are paramilitary…

(February 20, 2018)   Today marks one year since Families of the Disappeared took to the road in Kilinochchi, Marunthankerny (Jaffna), Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Mullaitivu demanding answers about the fate of their disappeared loved ones. Despite meetings with President Sirisena last year in which he agreed to meet the families’ demands for the release of…