A public remembrance titled “Black July – A Collective Remembrance and a Struggle for Liberation” will take place at Kittu Park in Jaffna on 24 and 25 July, organisers announced this week, as part of a renewed call for justice and the release of long-term Tamil political prisoners still incarcerated under Sri Lanka’s draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
The event, organised by Voice of the Voiceless, will combine commemoration with protest. It comes amid ongoing concern over the plight of Tamil political prisoners, some of whom have languished in detention for decades without fair trial.
At a press conference held at the Jaffna Press Club on Wednesday, the group’s coordinator M. Komagan stated that the upcoming remembrance is both a tribute and a call for accountability.
The event will feature a “protest action” highlighting continued Tamil detention under the PTA. Despite years of international condemnation of the law - widely criticised for enabling arbitrary detention, torture, and denial of due process - it remains unrepealed, with dozens of Tamils still imprisoned under its provisions.
Komagan stressed that only through consistent and conscientious efforts could justice and freedom be achieved for these prisoners in the name of the broader Tamil nation.
Alongside the protest and remembrance, Voice of the Voiceless also launched a donation campaign titled “Fund for Liberation – Let Us Forge the Keys to Freedom”. The campaign is intended to support advocacy efforts and provide sustained support for those affected.
Appealing for solidarity, Komagan urged participation that transcends “all lines of race, religion, language, age, gender, and political affiliation,” calling on the public to come together in pursuit of justice and liberation.
Komagan stressed that meaningful pressure, both on the Sri Lankan state and the international community, could only be exerted when people of goodwill and empathy unite without hesitation or fatigue, adding that such unity is vital to securing the release of the imprisoned Tamil political prisoners.
He concluded with a direct appeal: “Let us raise our voices together and bring our loved ones home from prison. Come, join us.”
