Tamil families of the disappeared in Vavuniya rallied earlier this week to reiterate longstanding calls for international justice. 

The relatives held placards that read “ To say that those who surrendered in the civil war have died is a pure [lie] deceiving both us and the international community” and “How can we expect justice in a country where the President himself is considered a murder?”

Tamil families of the disappeared have been protesting across the North-East for years, calling for an international investigation into the enforced disappearances of their loved ones. 

The Sri Lankan state have opposed these calls and instead have repeatedly claimed that domestic mechanisms will provide justice. However, Tamil families have remained skeptical of domestic accountability mechanisms as many have been set up but have failed to provide tangible results.

In September, Tamil Guardian spoke to some of the representatives of the Tamil families of the disappeared. They told us about their lack of confidence in domestic mechanisms such as the Office of the Missing Persons (OMP) and how the Sri Lankan state has been trying to quash their continuous roadside protests.