Tamil Families of the Disappeared have hailed the United Kingdom’s decision to impose sanctions on senior Sri Lankan military officials accused of war crimes, stating that the move affirms the long-standing demands of Tamil families for international justice and recognition of the genocide committed against Tamils in Sri Lanka.
At their regular demonstration in front of the old bus stand in Vavuniya, held on 1 April, the association welcomed the UK's travel bans and asset freezes imposed on Shavendra Silva, Jagath Jayasuriya, Wasantha Karannagoda, and former paramilitary leader Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan (Karuna), all implicated in atrocities during Sri Lanka’s armed conflict. Families held placards and banners demanding broader international action and reiterated that justice must come from outside the island’s borders.
The UK’s decision demonstrates that genocide took place here a representative of the association said, but added that the sanctions should not stop, calling for former presidents and others involved in the genocide to also face consequences
The Sri Lankan state has failed to offer credible answers or accountability for enforced disappearances, prompting survivors to appeal directly to international bodies such as the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The families are now calling on other international governments to follow the UK’s lead by enforcing targeted sanctions and pushing for prosecutions under universal jurisdiction. Only international justice can deliver accountability they said, emphasising the need for a global legal mechanism to hold Sri Lankan officials responsible.
