Major International Conference on Justice for the Disappeared Begins in Jaffna

A major international conference titled “The Long Walk for Justice” has commenced at the Thanthai Chelva Auditorium in Jaffna, marking International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

Ahead of the conference, an awareness procession began in the morning from the World Tamil Research Conference Massacre Memorial Monument, located in front of Veerasingham Hall in Jaffna. The procession proceeded to the Thanthai Chelva Auditorium, where the international conference was formally inaugurated.

The conference is being organised by the Association of Relatives of the Enforced Disappeared in the North and East and has brought together a wide range of participants, including international diplomats, university students, political parties, civil society organisations and religious leaders.

Meanwhile, a major protest was held outside the Sri Lankan High Commission in London on August 30, coinciding with International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

Held under the theme “Searching for Our Enforced Disappeared Tamil Relatives,” the protest called for international justice and accountability for Tamil civilians who were forcibly disappeared during Sri Lanka’s war.

The demonstration was organised by the Tamil Eelam Self-Determination Organisation and drew hundreds of members of the Tamil diaspora and activists, who gathered to demand truth, justice and accountability for their missing loved ones.

The events in Jaffna and London highlighted the continuing demands of families of the forcibly disappeared, who have spent years seeking answers about the fate and whereabouts of their relatives.