The number of human skeletons uncovered from the mass grave sites in Chemmani, Jaffna, has reached 126, with 117 remains fully exhumed, as court-supervised excavations continued this week at two designated forensic sites.
The administration of Anura Kumara Dissanayake has taken aim at longstanding privileges enjoyed by the country’s political elite, releasing a draft bill to amend the Presidents’ Entitlements Act No. 4 of 1986 and signalling its intention to revoke the lifetime perks afforded to former presidents and Members of Parliament.
A Sri Lankan court has acquitted and released two former military intelligence officers accused of abducting and assaulting a journalist and two state officials in 2008, in a case that has drawn renewed scrutiny over impunity for state-linked violence.
A newly released Telugu film titled Kingdom has come under fire for its portrayal of Eelam Tamils, with widespread criticism erupting online and calls for the film to be banned.
Families of the forcibly disappeared in Sri Lanka have reiterated their rejection of domestic accountability mechanisms, warning that justice cannot be achieved within a system that has repeatedly failed Tamil victims and continues to shield alleged perpetrators of war crimes and genocide.
Former Sri Lankan Navy Commander Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over allegations linked to the abduction and murder of an individual in the Pothuhera area, in a case drawing renewed scrutiny over Sri Lanka’s accountability for human rights violations.
Excavations at the Chemmani mass grave site in Jaffna have revealed further chilling discoveries, with the number of identified skeletal assemblages now rising to 118, including one adult skeleton found in a posture cradling the remains of a small child.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has convicted two senior commanders of the anti-Balaka militia in the Central African Republic (CAR) for multiple war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Muslim civilians during the 2013–2014 conflict.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that the United Kingdom will formally recognise the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September, unless Israel takes urgent action to halt its military assault on Gaza and commits to a sustainable peace.
Former Sri Lankan President and credibly accused war criminal Gotabaya Rajapaksa has informed the Supreme Court that he is willing to testify in the habeas corpus case relating to the 2011 enforced disappearance of human rights activists Lalith Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandan - but has requested that proceedings be held in Colombo, citing “security concerns.”
Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah has made history as the first Tamil to enter the Australian Senate, following her official signing of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) Caucus book during the 48th Parliament.
Sri Lanka has announced visa fee waivers for travellers from 40 countries in a bid to revive its struggling tourism sector - among them Israel, despite international concern over war crimes being committed in Gaza.
As pressure mounts for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate into the Syrian military, representatives have rejected demands to disarm and surrender key regions in the northeast, calling it a “red line”.
