Members of the US Congress mark Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day

Various members of Congress in the United States marked Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day on the social media platform 'X' today. Renewed calls for justice, accountability, and recognition were made, with calls for involvement from the international community and emphasis on Tamil self-determination.

Congresswoman Summer Lee, representative for Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District, issued the following statement: 

"Today I stand with Eelam Tamils worldwide in remembering the victims of Sri Lanka's state-sanctioned genocide. 16 years later, justice is still denied.

The U.S. and global community must recognise this atrocity, support Tamil self-determination, and hold perpetrators accountable."

 

Congresswoman Summer Lee has repeatedly advocated for recognition, justice and Tamil self-determination. In 2023, herself and former Congressman Jill Johnson for Ohio's 6th Congressional District, led a bipartisan letter which 'called upon the State Department to formally hold Sri Lanka responsible for its human rights abuses and violation of international humanitarian law carried out against the Tamil people.'

Congresswoman Deborah Ross, serving as representative for North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District, wrote:

"On Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, we remember the lives tragically taken during the Sri Lankan Civil War.

We stand with Tamil communities as they continue to seek justice, accountability and recognition."

Congressman Herb Conaway, representative for New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District, wrote the following:

"Alongside Tamil Americans in New Jersey and across the United States, I honour the memory of the tens of thousands of Tamils who were killed or forcibly disappeared during Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict.

We continue to advocate for a just and lasting political solution based on Tamil self-determination."

Earlier this week, on May 16th, Congressman Don Davis addressed Congress, commemorating the 16th anniversary of the Tamil Genocide.

He called upon Congress to stand together with Eelam Tamils, while advocating for justice and recognition of the genocide.

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