Families of the disappeared in the Eastern Province protested in Amparai on Monday to mark International Human Rights Day and call for answers and justice for their disappeared relatives.

In a landmark ruling on Thursday, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court overturned the dissolution of parliament ordered by Maithripala Sirisena, deeming his move illegal in the latest twist in the island’s political crisis.

The closely watched decision earlier today, saw judges vote unanimously against Sirisena’s move last month, in which, alongside former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, he sought to call snap parliamentary elections. Security was stepped up outside the court house, with armed and uniformed officers from the Special Task Force deployed outside the court house.

A protest calling to protect workers’ rights and end exploitation of workers took place in Kilinochchi on Sunday.

The demonstration by labour unions in Kilinochchi called for an end to violence against workers, as well as gendered and sexual violence against female workers.

Tamils in Jaffna held a protest today against corruption and administrative mismanagement in Sri Lanka's transport board's Northern province's office. 

Protesters accused senior staff of making false allegations against employees who whistleblow on corruption in the department. 

Demanding that such a culture of retribution against whistleblowers must end, protesters called for the regional manager to be replaced. 

<p>Transparency International Sri Lanka called for Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to investigate allegations of bribery made by President Sirisena.&nbsp;</p> <p>In a filmed interview last week Sirisena said the appointed prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has large sums of money had been solicited and offered to MPs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sri Lanka's parliament was adjourned today until December 18 by the Speaker Karu Jayasuriya.&nbsp;</p> <p>The country has been in a state of political turmoil since October when the president sacked the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa.&nbsp;</p> <p>Prior to the adjournament, the UNP member Sajith Premadasa tabled a motion of confidence in the UNP leader, Wickremesinghe.&nbsp;</p>

A new study has estimated that over 500 Tamils were forcibly disappeared in just three days, after surrendering to the Sri Lankan army in May 2009.

The disappeared include an elderly Tamil Catholic priest Father Francis Joseph, LTTE cadres and civilians who all surrendered to Sri Lankan troops at the time. The study commented that this event “was extraordinary by the number of people disappeared in one location and in a very brief period”.

The mother of a Tamil journalist disappeared in 2007 died on Sunday, following the death of her husband less than a month earlier. The couple had been actively seeking answers for the disappearance of their son, Subramaniam Ramachandran, until their last days.

Ramachandran, a local correspondent for both the Yaal Thinakkural and Valampuri newspapers was disappeared in February 2007 inside a Sri Lankan army camp in Vadamarachchi.

The Sri Lankan army announced that it had modified and refurbished two gun carriages that it had initially bought from the United Kingdom in 1986.

The Sri Lankan army announced that 131 new recruits had completed their training last month, as the military continues to expand its numbers despite calls for demilitarisation.

The Sri Lankan military organised yet another series of seminars for Tamil schoolchildren last month, as it continued with its militarisation of the North-East.

<p>A court case has been filed against Ranil Wickremesinghe, accusing him of part ownership in a company that does business with the Sri Lankan government, which could see him potentially lose his seat as a parliamentarian.</p>

The revolutionary Tamil poet Subramani Bharathi or Bharathiyar was celebrated on the 137th anniversary of his birth by the Indian Consulate in Jaffna on Tuesday.

Prominent local figures including politicians, local government officials and elected representatives, and religious leaders attended the event held at the iconic Bharathiyar statue in Nallur.

Sinhalese and Tamil residents of Colombo protested at Fort on Monday, to mark International Human Rights Day and demonstrate solidarity with ongoing protests around the North-East and by up-country Tamils.