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| "Why does justice fail us..." reads poster. |
Tamils protested in Jaffna on Saturday calling on the international community to find those disappeared by the Sri Lankan state and ensure those in custody are released.
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| "God of Justice open your eyes" reads poster. Photograph Mayurapriyan |
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| "World! Don't you have eyes...?" reads poster |
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"Military, leave!" reads poster.
Photograph Mayurapriyan |
Starting at 9.45am am local time by Jaffna central bus stand, relatives of the missing, together with politicians from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) marched via Hospital Street and Saththira Junction before heading towards the site of the massacre at the World Tamil Research Conference in 1974.
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| Photograph Mayurapriyan |
Holding photographs of their missing children and loved ones, Tamils carried banners reading: "We want international investigation into mass graves", "Are Tamils lifeless things to disappear?", "Zeid ask OISL to investigate Tamil genocide!", "World! Do you not have eyes?".
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In a statement of visceral resentment, one poster satirised two Southern detention facilities notorious for the endemic use of sexual violence and torture against Tamil detainees: "Are Boosa and Welikada Tamils' sacred sites?"
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| Photographs Mayurapriyan | |
The TNA MP Suresh Premachandran, the TNPF politician, S Kajendran, the TNA Northern Provincial Councillor Ananthy Sasitharan were among those who joined the demonstrators.
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The protest is the latest in a wave of demonstrations across the North-East against the enforced disappearances and ongoing detention of Tamils.
Batticaloa mothers demand Sri Lanka govt releases detained children (16 Feb 2015)
Tamil protesters sign petition demanding release of political prisoners and disappeared (15 Feb 2015)
Tamils across North-East Sri Lanka demand release of disappeared in new wave of protests (09 Feb 2015)
Tamils in Mullaitivu demand new Sri Lanka govt returns disappeared loved ones (08 Feb 2015)
Protesters across North-East call on government to return detained relatives (03 Feb 2015)
Tamil mothers demand new Sri Lanka govt returns missing children (02 Feb 2015)
Relatives of disappeared protest in Batticaloa (30 Jan 2015)
Tamils in Mannar urge international community to investigate war crimes in Sri Lanka (26 Jan 2015)
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