People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) called on the international community to push Sri Lanka "to take meaningful steps toward achieving justice and accountability for its past and ongoing crimes, demilitarisation, and a sustainable, long-term political solution for the Tamil people" as the Tamil nation marks Tamil Genocide Day.
In a statement, the advocacy organisation highlighted that Sri Lanka's lack of accountability "has enabled the brutality of the Sri Lankan state to flourish such that its violence — which has always targeted Tamils on the island — has now turned against the recent Sinhalese protests in the south."
The statement also noted that Sri Lanka has used "significant human and financial resources" to monitor Tamil memorialisation activities in the North-East despite it's ongoing economic crisis.
"Focusing on the current economic and political crisis, without addressing the root causes of conflict or the longstanding grievances of the Tamil people and minority communities, will merely maintain the status quo and perpetuate repression, violence, and genocide. Moreover, allowing impunity to persist sends a message to perpetrators around the world that human rights and justice are not true global priorities."
