Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports that Sri Lankan authorities continue to harass and intimidate families of victims of enforced disappearances, using tactics like surveillance, false allegations, and arbitrary arrests. A court in Trincomalee recently banned a memorial procession for the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance, highlighting ongoing efforts to suppress dissent.
Many of the families of the missing are mothers or spouses, and they tell of constantly being under police monitoring, court orders, and threats. They claim they have been pressured by the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) to take payment in order to have their cases closed without a conclusion. Many people believe that foreign involvement is necessary to secure justice, and there is a general lack of trust in the government’s stated efforts towards truth and reconciliation.
International prosecutions, penalties against offenders, and more oversight of human rights violations in Sri Lanka are among the demands made by HRW and the UN. They call on international organizations to support the families of the victims in addressing the legacy of forced disappearances and holding those guilty.