Human rights advocate and lawyer Ranitha Gnanarajah has spent over a decade working at the intersection of justice and grief. Her work reflects both a legal and personal struggle, from families still searching for their disappeared loved ones to lands hiding mass graves beneath them. For Gnanarajah, the pursuit of justice has become an act of defiance against Sri Lankan state's refusal to reckon with the atrocities on the island, where the wounds of the past remain open.
In 2021, she received the prestigious International Women of Courage Award, coinciding with the International Women's Day during a virtual event conducted by the United States Secretary of State.
Speaking to the Tamil Guardian, she reflected with honesty and compassion on her journey, one that began within the lived struggles of her own people.
Roots of a calling
When asked what first inspired her to pursue human rights law, Gnanarajah traced it back to her family and the example set by her grandfather, a local activist who spent his life supporting victims of arrests, displacement, and enforced disappearances.
“When I opened the door of my house, daily I would see 15 or 20 family members early in the morning,” she recalled. “They would come to speak to my grandfather.”
Seeing that constant stream of people shaped her understanding of justice. “I understood the need to be a lawyer to support the victims,” she said.
Because of this early experience, she developed a knowledge of the potential of law to serve as a tool for survival, dignity, and memory in addition to legal procedures. Being a Tamil woman made that struggle even more personal.
“Being a Tamil and also on the other hand being a victim of war made me carry my ethnic identity to fight for justice and accountability.”
Law in the aftermath
Mass graves and enforced disappearances, consequences of Sri Lanka’s genocide against Tamils, have been central to Gnanarajah’s legal career. She represents families of victims in a system that often seems designed to block accountability and prevent responsibility.
“More than three decades have been an experience of enforced disappearances,” she explained. “When mass graves are found, everything has to be connected, and there is no specific law, so it has to be dealt with through the court.”
In the absence of clear laws governing the investigation of mass graves, she has had to creatively navigate existing criminal procedures, ensuring that families play an active role in the process — from excavations to evidence examination. “Families should not be treated as bystanders,” she said. “They are the ones who bear the truth.”
Barriers to justice
Asked whether she believed the law itself could become both a tool and an obstacle to justice, Gnanarajah was unequivocal.
“No, because law is only one component,” she said. “There should be a political will to resolve the issue.”
She noted that the obstacles to justice are deeply political, not merely procedural. Successive governments have promised accountability but maintained the same structures of impunity.
“Even the international community and those in Colombo think that when a new regime comes, we have to give them time,” she said. “How many years are we giving every new ruler? To give enough time to understand, realise, analyse, and then go for a solution? It’s a waste of time. We are making victims frustrated, because they are tired of it. It is not one year or two years — it is more than three decades.”
Her persistence, however, reflects a combination of innovation and endurance. Many of her cases have dragged on for years, yet she continues to push forward. She cited the Chemmani mass graves case, first excavated in 1999.
“DNA samples were sent to India and Glasgow but the case was not followed up,” she said. “Everybody let down the process and nobody knows what happened.”
“We took newspaper reports from that period, collected victim statements and connected the pieces to restart the case,” she added. “Now people are talking about it.”
She also highlighted how Sri Lankan courts lack proper procedures for handling mass graves. “Without forensic protocols or independent oversight, evidence can be lost forever,” she warned.
Advocacy beyond the courts
Gnanarajah’s work extends far beyond the courtroom. Advocacy, she said, is a vital link between the community and the law. She provides legal support, consultation, and advocacy for victims across the North-East, often from within the communities themselves.
Her approach, she explained, is rooted in lived experience rather than from an academic standing. Balancing her role as a lawyer with grassroots activism has been difficult, but she insists on standing alongside victim communities.
She also called on international organisations to “ensure protection of the voices of those who demand justice.”
Dealing with cases of mass graves and disappearances takes a personal toll, she admitted. Gnanarajah agreed handling such cases can be overwhelming. Yet working closely with victims’ families sustains her. They share food, talk, and motivate each other, she said.
Justice beyond the law
For Gnanarajah, justice goes beyond the legal outcomes. It is intertwined with dignity and the Tamil people's right self-determination.
“Justice means seeing the Tamil people as equals — not as victims to be pitied, but as a nation with a history and identity,” she said.
She emphasised the importance of solidarity between the Tamil diaspora and those in the homeland. “The diaspora has a lot of potential, but it needs to remain connected to local reality. Symbolic solidarity is not enough. We need collaboration, funding, and consistent advocacy informed by local voices.”
Her advice to Tamil legal professionals abroad was straightforward: “Make use of your platforms. You have power because of your education and connections, regardless of whether you live in London, Toronto, or Paris. Don’t remain quiet about Sri Lanka. Justice surpasses geographic boundaries.”
A message to the next generation
When asked what message she had for Tamil youth, she replied:
“You should remember your origins. Do not rely heavily on social media. Do your own research and find your roots. Keep fighting for the freedom and justice of Tamils, but with the right purpose. Telling the truth is the responsibility of every generation. Don’t be apathetic; you don’t need to be an activist or a lawyer.”
Her message ended with both a warning and a hope. “If we stop demanding justice, we accept the erasure of our people. But as long as we speak, organise, and remember, we are unbreakable.”
Ranitha Gnanarajah embodies determination and relentless commitment. For her, justice is not a destination but a daily act of remembrance and a refusal to forget.
She reminds us that finding the truth is a sort of resistance within itself as she fights on, one case at a time.
Listen to the full interview on Spotify here.