The Sri Lankan state has intensified its crackdown on commemorations of Maaveerar Naal, the Tamil national remembrance day for fallen LTTE fighters, with police obtaining court injunctions against commemorations in several districts and both police and Sri Lankan army setting up roadblocks and checkpoints around LTTE cemeteries.

The Jaffna High Court on Friday rejected petitions against a number of injunctions, with the judge ruling that the court had no jurisdiction to issue such an order. The court however further stated that no one can prevent the petitioners from commemorating individually, but that collective commemoration was a matter related to national security.

The UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), has published an updated report on 30 countries of human rights concerns, noting that the “human rights environment in Sri Lanka worsened”.

Human rights under attack

The report highlights specific concerns over the surveillance and intimidation of activists, human rights defenders, and high-profile human rights lawyers whilst also raising alarm over the pardoning of Sunil Ratnayake. They note that this was “the only member of the armed forces convicted of a wartime atrocity”.

Tamils across London are showcasing their unity by flying the Tamil Eelam flag outside homes and businesses in the build-up to Maaveerar Naal, which takes place on 27 November.

Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran paid tribute to the LTTE’s Captain Pandithar at the fighter's family home this morning, as part of events leading up to Maaveerar Naal this week.

The Kayts Magistrate's Court has imposed a ban on observing Maaveerar Naal and other remembrance events in Jaffna from today until November 27.

An order was was issued by the court yesterday evening under the Covid-19 Isolation Act after Kayts police filed a case to ban any commemoration events. The police said they had received information that arrangements were being made to observe Maaveerar Naal in Velanani and Pungudutivu. 

This follows a series of court bans across the North-East prohibiting Tamil people from taking part in Maaveerar Naal commemorations. 

Sinnathurai Maheswari, the mother of Sinnathurai Raveenthiran, otherwise known as LTTE’s senior Captain Pandithar, pleaded that no one should be banned from paying homage to their deceased children.

Maheswari, hailing from Valvettithurai filed a petition at Jaffna High Court seeking an injunction not to attempt a ban on Maaveerar Naal events.

“Thirty years have passed since my son died and every year," she told reporters. 

In the lead up to Maaveerar Naal, UK Tamil students and the Tamil Youth Organisation UK (TYO UK) have organised a virtual remembrance event to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives in the Tamil struggle for freedom.

The event has been organised alongside 23 Tamil societies. 

Watch the live event below: 

????, ???????, ??????, ?????? ???????????? ?????? ???? ?????????? ???????? ???????? ??????? ??? ?????? ????????? ?????????... ???? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ??????? ????, ???? ???????? ?????????????. #ReleasePerarivalan pic.twitter.com/bLEuDbx5sy

In the build-up to Maaveerar Naal next week, a Sri Lankan parliamentarian claimed that there were “no martyrs” in the armed conflict, “only terrorists” and the army.

At parliament on Wednesday, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Anura Priyadarshana Yapa claimed that there were no martyrs, and stated that LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran “did a lot of harm to Tamils and not any good,” according to Colombo Gazette..