Tamil families of the disappeared marked Human Rights Day with protests in Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya and Trincomalee as they continue to demand to know the fate of their loved ones who were forcibly disappeared by the Sri Lankan state.  Tamil families have been protesting across the North-East for years in a bid to find the truth about their loved ones, many of whom were forcibly disappeared when they surrendered to the Sri Lankan military at the end of the armed conflict in May 2009.

The Sri Lankan military has refused to dismantle an occupying base in Karkovalam, Jaffna, despite a decision by the cabinet that the camp be removed.

Jaffna District MP Dr Ramanathan Archuna claimed that he was assaulted on December 3rd within the premises of the Opposition Leader’s office in the parliament by Sinhala parliamentarian Sujith Sanjaya Perera.

Speaking in Sri Lanka’s parliament last week Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) parliamentarian S Shritharan called on the Sri Lankan president to enact a political solution that respects the identity and rights of Eelam Tamils.

Bashar al-Assad has fled to Russia after opposition forces entered the capital Damascus.

Sri Lankan police interrogated two Tamil men for organising commemorative events during Maaveerar remembrance week in Kokkuvil, Jaffna. 

The human rights organisation has determined that Israel is committing genocide against the people of Palestine.

 

The Colombo Additional Magistrate has called on Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to arrest the organisers of the Maaveerar Naal commemorations that took place across the Tamil homeland last month, as thousands paid tribute to fallen Tamil fighters.

On the same day that eight Indian fishermen who were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy were flown to Chennai, the security forces announced it had detained two more Indian fishing boats and 14 Tamil Nadu fishermen, as tensions across the Palk Strait continued.

Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala admitted that more than 244 Maaveerar Naal commemoration events took place across the North-East last week, as Tamils across the homeland paid tribute to those who gave their lives fighting for an independent state.

The National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) is at risk of being banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as its Secretary General, Maxwell De Silva, continues to defy a suspension imposed for ethical violations and misconduct.

The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) has submitted more than 60 sanctions requests targeting Sri Lankan officials, security personnel, and former Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) officers for their roles in gross human rights violations committed during and after Sri Lanka’s armed conflict. These requests have been sent to governments such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the European Union, as well as to the United Nations.

French Tamils gathered in Villebon-sur-Yvette to mark Maaveerar Naal last week, as millions around the world paid tribute to Tamil freedom fighters.