Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Jaffna on Saturday, marking the International Day of the Disappeared with a march calling for justice for loved ones who vanished during Sri Lanka’s conflict.
The demonstration was organized by the Association of Relatives of Enforced Disappearances (ARED) and began at the Sangilian statue in Jaffna town, where participants lit a torch in memory of more than 400 people who died during Sri Lanka’s longest ongoing protest — a 3,114-day vigil seeking answers about the forcibly disappeared.
Relatives from all five districts of the Northern Province carried photographs and placards as they marched from the statue to the Chemmani mass grave site, where hundreds of bodies are believed to be buried.
Organizers said the march served as both a tribute to victims and a renewed appeal to authorities to disclose the fate of thousands who went missing during and after the civil war.
Despite repeated campaigns, families of the disappeared say successive governments have failed to deliver truth or accountability. (Newswire)
